ABOUT MY COUSIN:
even though i am only a few years younger than greg, he always seemed so much more experienced and cool than i was growing up (in fact he was.) he was this amazing surfer golden boy, and i remember just wanting him to like me. i remember one family reunion in ocean city, it seemed like all the cousins looked up to greg, wanted to be his friend. everyone wanted to be in on the joke with him.
years later i was on a business trip to new york when greg was living there. he came to see me at the stationery show i was part of. still, as adults, he had this special aura about him, this coolness and sparkle. i was apologizing about how little time i had to visit with him that trip, and he just kept his calm, smiling way and repeated "no worries." that is how i remember my sweet cousin, never wanting anyone to worry or be stressed on his account, for life to be zen.
i keep thinking about how i can best honor his memory. i don't have any answers, but i will try to keep "no worries" in my life as much as possible. and just thinking of that grin, that light in his eyes- i want to smile every time he crosses my mind.

POST SAN DIEGO MEMORIAL:
no one in our family had any idea about the amazing network of friends that composed greg's life. despite the sorrow, it was overwhelmingly positive to feel the support and love extended automatically to us. but more importantly, we were all fortified and so so happy to know that these were the people surrounding and composing greg's life. the fact that i left the weekend with a warm love soaking into my bones is a testament to these fine folks that greg chose and attracted into his life. we learned so much about greg, and now i have another way i can honor his memory: by living life turned up to level 11. i'll do my damndest.

from scotty sewell

Greg will be dearly missed. Greg was always able to find a way to enjoy life while accomplishing his goals. His laughter and smile brought so much to others. Sitting on our boards between sets or waiting for that last wave to catch in, Greg had a way of making all of us laugh. It's been a while since Greg and I had seen each other and the news pours emotions from within. Aloha nui loa to Greg, his family and all of his friends. Ernie and Cayrle, my heart weeps. Scotty Sewell

from chuz and joan sawyer on october 29, 2006

OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU ON THIS DAY OF GREG'S SERVICES IN CALIFORNIA. WE DID NOT KNOW GREG. HOWEVER, WHEN READING THESE ENTRIES OF HOW MUCH HE WAS LIKE HIS FATHER, IT IS CERTAIN HE WAS A GOOD MAN. LOVE AND PRAYERS TO ALL HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. CHUZ AND JOAN SAWYER

from christy baummer

I am a cousin of greg's and younger than him. I always looked up to him and thought he was cool - like I wanted to be. I remember: being at his house in MD playing hide and seek and flashlight tag, and him playing with cars or trains; he had a cool bedroom for a kid; the smile that lit up his eyes when he had something funny planned and we didn't know what it was yet; going to the water slide in Ocean City, MD and riding all the slides together; him at my sister's birthday in July when he was little; greg being uncomfortable being the only boy cousin at family get togethers for a while until reid came along and how happy he was to have a boy cousin. It's that genuine smile that I remember most. greg was a man with seemingly unlimited potential.

gregorio memorio

whew. the void that greg left is a painful one to put a grasp on. just reading through all the love, laughs and goodness that was and is greg puts a tearful smirk on this cousin's face. since greg is alive and well in our hearts and memories, here's a few of my own ...

late 70's - hawaii
a family jaunt to the exotic beauty of the pacific to visit the other betz family (and i mean other in the best of ways) is an early, yet vivid memory. as the only other boy cousin still kickin' it at the kids table, greg was the bee's knees in my book. not only was he a bit older than my sisters (and his) and able to wage some authority in the boy/girl rivalries, he had some damn cool stuff. i remember something of his with all kinds of patches, the iron-on type that was a clear sign of prestige in those good days.

early 80's - maryland
aunt chris and uncle chic had a place in ocean city that all the family congregated to on several wonderful occasions. one evening after a full day of beachness, the ice cream truck tempted our bellies with its sweet bells and chimes. in a scramble, all of us younger cousins begged money from whoever was giving and made a mad dash, running at top speed through the underbelly of the buildings on their salty stilts, all the while knowing that speedy greg was our only chance at satisfaction. he proved to be the hero of the day. mmmmm mmm, that ice cream was good.

one morning i was fast asleep in the back porch, comforted by the sounds of the rest of the family eating, chatting and doing whatever else people do in the morning. then a sudden bellow from greg's ass jolts me into consciousness. he ran off, showing his ever-present grin in satisfaction of doing the impossible - waking me before noon. as an aside, i do not recommend this technique, for it does come with the cold dish of revenge.

early 80's - georgia
the betz's come and visit us in hotlanta and we get to go to the kid's dreamland of six flags. however, this boy was a complete wussy and cowered in the thought of getting on one of those crazy contraptions. greg, in a beautiful and generous gesture, offered to ride a lame little kid ride with me. how could one refuse? it was a great ride, and if i remember correctly, was not as tame as one would think.

mid 90's - new york
my dad calls and tells me that greg and i are neighbors in new york city. having not seen each other in some time, coming together as grown adults (i use that term loosely in my case) was quite, well, cool. there was a definite connection between him and i, something in the blood that made us look at one another and nod our heads in silent agreement. what is interesting that, while betz boys like our fathers, there were a number of things from our mom's side, genetically and otherwise that were strong ties. i guess our dad's have similar tastes in their women. impeccable tastes, i might add.

i gotta tell ya, referring to him in the past tense sucks.

late 90's - maryland
this was another sad, sad day - the funeral for our mom mom, our mimi, our grandmother. greg and i stood together on that one. we talked about what a shame it is that we end up not seeing so many old friends and family members until there's a funeral. how true.

early 2000's - new york
sittin' at my desk one fine day in the city, i scooted out early to head to the river and catch the sunset (something that i should do more often). walkin' through the crowds of 14th street, up comes a pair of flip flops carrying gregorio on down the block. a sweet little encounter of chance that i like to think of a reward for deciding to slow down and enjoy things a bit. it somehow makes sense that he would be on the way.

then there was the time heather and i ran into him on the brooklyn subway in the wee hours. many laughs were had that evening (morning?), making good time out of what turned out to be a long journey on a train sitting idle on the tracks as the repair crews worked ahead.

mid 2000's and beyond - any ol' place
here's to all the times that greg will pop up, to that damn grin and the sparkle in his eye, to the low talk amidst laughs, and to all of the other amazing things that we have because of him.

from ernie and cayrle betz

Dear Family and Friends: With great difficulty,and
regret ,that I must inform you of our son,Gregory's, mountain accident on Oct 10TH in La Jolla,Ca. Greg was on a long mountain bike ride,and while crossing a railroad , a Southbound train collision
occurred!Greg's spirit,and soul was immediately placed in God's care.It is a most difficult time for our
family,and his ,and our many close friends! Some of you are already aware of his demise,and the family thanks you for your the out pouring of sorry.Greg was at the top of his life,living a life of photography
work,surfing,mountain biking,and traveling.He was single, only 39, and in super shape,and with his movie star looks,he was very popular with the ladies!Their was a memorial service, last Sunday in a NYC park, with
a large gathering of his New York City friends! On Oct
29th,in La Jolla.CA, .at 9AM, his surfer friends, family, and many other, will honor Greg,with a beach
celabration;his ashes will be deposited by his surfer
buddies at sea; Greg had a special connection with the our oceans,and received magical powers,when he was in the sea!This will be followed by a lunch,and slide show of his life, as he lived it! This is what Greg
reguested to me ,if anything ever shortened his life!
Another memorial service will occurr in Honolulu,Hi on Nov 19th,conducted by his Hawiaaian surfer friends. Family requests no flowers;however, donations
his children's fund will be accepted. Greg loved to
work with,and help small children,and hoped,in the future, to have some of his own.I am saddened to share this information with you;however,Greg would not want
anyone to grieve over his departure. HE lived his life
to the fullest,and although I will dearly miss him, I am
proud to have had him as my son! Thank You,and God Bless! Ernie& Caryle

greg's san diego memorial service

Dear Friends & Family,

For those of you that would like to attend, Greg's memorial service will be held on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. at Calumet Shoreline Park in La Jolla, CA.

Calumet Park is a small park in a residential neighborhood of Bird Rock. It over looks a popular surfing site called Rock Pile. Greg surfed this spot often, and we decided as a family this was the best spot to release his ashes.

Directions/map: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/shoreline/index.shtml

"Head north from Pacific Beach or south from La Jolla to La Jolla Blvd then turn west onto Midway Street, go down two blocks to Calumet Avenue, turn left. The park is about two houses down on the right hand side."

Also, In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: "Voices for Children, In Memory of Greg Betz," 2851 Meadow Lark Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.

"Voices for Children ("V4C") has direct impact on the lives of San Diego's most vulnerable citizens. V4C is a nonprofit whose purpose is to serve abused, neglected or abandoned children who have become dependents of the San Diego County Court. V4C has a network of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) who work with agencies, lawyers and community resources to help these children navigate the court system, to find a safe foster home or, hopefully, be adopted into a safe and nurturing home.

There approximately 8,000 children who are considered "dependents of the court" in San Diego. Each of these children has a court hearing at least every six months. The lawyers who represent these children handle as many as 400 cases individually and the social workers are often responsible for 40-60 children each. The CASAs are appointed currently to only 10% of these children to advocate on their behalf and "be a voice" for them in this complex and overburdened system. The V4C is the only designated provider of CASAs in San Diego.

http://www.voices4children.com/


Thanks to everyone for your tremendous love and support,
Jennifer & Suzanne

from j.t. "lucky" jordan

I didn't know Greg but I did know his dad when he was a young lifeguard
on the Maryland Ocean City Beach Patrol and my heart goes out to him
for I can only imagine what it would be like to lose my only son Dirk who
like Ernie is a fighter jock for the Air Force.
Hearing about Greg reminds me of that young lifeguard I knew who had a
great sense of humor, multi-faceted athletic ability and made friends
wherever he went. The number of friends in different locations and
activities that have responded to Greg's memory tells me that he was
indeed his father's son.
Do what you want with this as a sincere message of sympathy and respect
to the Betz family and expecially my old friend Ernie.
Sincerely,
J. T. "Lucky" Jordan

Kurt Hoffmann said...

I only knew greg - we called him 'the shark' back then - for a couple years in college in Boulder, but he was one of those rare people who affected you the rest of your life. i will never forget that smile and twinkle in his eyes and you knew things were about to get interesting. he gave me my college nickname (flippy, after some surfer flippy hoffman) which is what most people from that time in my life insist on using to this day. i think greg would be excited to know i still have the skateboard i used to ride around with him in college. my son loves that thing. this is a profound loss. i am so grateful for the spirit you brought to my life.

Kurt Hoffmann

from garrison beau scott

Garrison Beau Scott said...
I went to school with Greg at Brooks and though we weren't tight, I, like a great many other students who came to Brooks after Greg, always looked up to him.

I think everyone wanted to be his friend. My deepest sympathies to the Betz family for their loss.

from christine, swiss miss

Christine (Swiss Miss) said...
Dear Friends and Family of Greg I was a friend of Greg’s from a long time ago in Carpinteria where I met him and Ian during their time at Brooks. Unfortunately we lost contact for many years since I moved back to Switzerland. I often think about my time with good friends like Greg and Ian and all the fun times we had together. From time to time I searched around the internet looking to see if I would find something about their work and what they have done. Now I found this page and I’m totally shocked. Friends and Family of Greg Betz be assured that Greg will be missed all over the Globe and Switzerland especially.
Alish, I really think you said it best that is exactly how I remember Greg. With his big smile and funny wit. A good friend to have fun with but also can talk serious to.
I wish I would have stayed in better contact and would love to know what he did the last few years and what happened to him. (christine@sinnet.ch)
I wish everyone who loves him a lot of strength in this difficult time.
Let’s all think of him and smile because I’m sure that is what he would want to see.
Christine (Swiss Miss)

12:14 PM

this is a spot for anyone who wants to share any thoughts, stories, photos or other musings about the late great greg betz. please feel free to use this blog however you see fit to honor the memory of greg.