The other morning I looked at my BlackBerry and saw an e-mail from my mother. At last! I thought. I’ve missed her so much. Then I caught myself. The e-mail couldn’t be from my mother. My mother died a month ago.

I really want to teach a class on death and immortality. Probably should be a seminar, but maybe next time that’ll be the theme for PHIL 500. It’s an intense, difficult, fascinating, and important topic. It certainly is philosophical. Lots and lots of philosophers have dealt with the question of the immortality of the soul.

I’ve also noticed more and more Gators informing me that they wouldn’t be in class because of the death or impending death of a family member or a friend. Maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking about the topic that it seems as though more Gators are sharing this information with me.

It’s no secret that I was enormously impressed with and by D.Z. Beyond liking him, I was so very fond of him. Even that description doesn’t match my feelings. He became a mentor of sorts, even if it was without his knowledge. He wrote a letter of recommendation for my to SFSU for this job. Me! A non-Religion student.

I wept uncontrollably when I received the email that he had died. And yes, I still grieve the loss. Thank God he was a prolific writer.

Here’s the eulogy by D.Z.’s former student, Partick Horn, who is now the Dean of the School of Religion.