DrChrissy

Concern

I've been concerned for a while about not having seen DrChrissy around. He hasn't edited since May. An IP just posted a note saying that he has died, and then self-reverted. I have no way of knowing whether or not that was true, but if so, that is very sad news and he will be much missed. --Tryptofish (talk) 18:37, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

I'm not going to link to it right now, but unfortunately I have seen pretty convincing evidence that the worst fears have been confirmed. I'm going to wait a day or two before going to WP:RIP (although anyone else should feel free to do it themselves), in case anyone close to DrChrissy can provide more information here. --Tryptofish (talk) 21:12, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

I have never hoped you were wrong more than I do now. Please...^{Atsme📞📧} 22:25, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

I pray this isn't true.(Littleolive oil (talk) 01:00, 25 August 2017 (UTC))

RIP DrChrissy - 1962 - July 18, 2017. ^{Atsme📞📧} 01:07, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

CHERISHED MEMORIES

Chris Sherwin (2009)

RIP DrChrissy 1962 - July 18, 2017

We just learned of his passing. DrChrissy was a special Wikipedian and will be deeply missed. I am including a section from a tribute to his life written by his colleague, Mike Mendl.

"He mentored young researchers, was a lively and fun companion at international conferences, and invested huge effort in organizing the 40th International Congress of the ISAE at Bristol in 2006. He continued to publish until 2013 and was very active on Wikipedia, creating nearly 50 articles and contributing to many more, and presenting the fields of animal welfare and behaviour with a clarity and authority that will without doubt inform and influence many interested students, school children, and members of the wider public. His many scientific papers and his wide-ranging contributions to the fields of animal behaviour and welfare, including his later Wikipedia articles, will be his continuing contribution and lasting legacy to our discipline and the wider scientific community."

He made us laugh with his endless puns and brilliant wit. He was a man of integrity, a scholar, and a good human being. He was loved and appreciated by many. ^{Atsme📞📧} 03:50, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

• I am honoured to have interacted with him even a few times; his great integrity led him to fight for what he believed in, I think. A loss to Wikipedia and the world it seems. Peace to him and his family.(Littleolive oil (talk) 03:59, 25 August 2017 (UTC))
• This is awful news. Dr C, you'll be greatly missed. My condolences to his loved ones. SarahSV ^(talk) 04:33, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Very sad news, and many condolences to his friends and family. Thanks for all of your work in support of animal welfare, DrChrissy. Rest in peace. Softlavender (talk) 04:45, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

• My condolences to his family, friends, colleges and all others that mourn his passing. DrChrissy was already being missed here on Wikipedia before this sad news surfaced. I thought he was just taking a Wikihoiday. Always polite and very diplomatic and won by force of good reasoning in Wiki debates. Also of-course, more than willing to share his knowledge with the rest of the Wikipedia community. As a scientist, he appeared to me, as possessing that rare quality of standing aside from sentimentally whilst maintaining a real empathy for the animals he studied. All of these things made him a very much appreciated WP Editor. He lives on, via the legacy that he generously bestowed to us. R.I.P. Aspro (talk) 10:23, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• I remember that I interacted with him very early in his editing time here, and I always held him in very fond regard. In particular, I recollect a time when I mentioned the April 1 jokes that editors sometimes make, and he said that he was looking forward eagerly to the next date. His contributions on veterinary and animal welfare topics were very important, and he is much missed. --Tryptofish (talk) 13:31, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• I am extremely saddened by the news. Him and I would often interact on wiki and via email - I'd enjoy his sarcasm and wit very much, and each and every response made my day a bit more fun. Even when he was having difficulties, Dr. Chrissy always did his best to keep things positive and with the project's best interest at heart. Dr. Chrissy, you will be missed so very much. Wikipedia has taken a heavy, heavy loss today... :-( ~Oshwah~^{(talk) (contribs)} 16:48, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Oh wow. I only interacted with him in a couple of places, but I remember his comments were invariably apt and often really funny. He seemed like a genuinely caring person. My condolences to his loved ones, some of which I assume are of the four-legged variety. 😿 Rivertorch^FIRE_WATER 17:09, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Rest in Peace, Chris. Your efforts here on many important articles were valued, particularly for issues close to your heart such as Overview of discretionary invasive procedures on animals, Docking (animal), Cropping (animal), and so on. Your passion for animal welfare and your compassion in general shines through your work here. Montanabw^(talk) 17:18, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• My sincerely condolences to DrChrissy's family and friends. This is indeed a big loss for our community as well. Mkdw ^talk 18:45, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Very sad news. He was a welcome figure on animal-related articles and will be deeply missed by the Wikipedia community. White Arabian Filly ^Neigh 21:24, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Before now, I thought DrChrissy was a female Wikipedian; so, per the quote listed by Atsme above, I appreciate having a brief glimpse of the person behind the username. DrChrissy and I didn't always agree, such as when it came to some discussions at the Animal sexual behaviour talk page, but I always respected him and very much appreciated his knowledge. He was a passionate editor who cared a lot about the accuracy of the topics he worked on, animal topics in particular. And I'm glad to have known him via his Wikipedia work. Flyer22 Reborn (talk) 22:15, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Such sad news. DC's value to Wikipedia was immense and he will be greatly missed. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends. MarnetteD|Talk 22:28, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
• Psalm 29:11--Ozzie10aaaa (talk) 00:44, 26 August 2017 (UTC)
• Miss you Chris --Epipelagic (talk) 06:16, 26 August 2017 (UTC)
• My condolences to his family and friends. I'll never look at ethology articles in the same way again. Chiswick Chap (talk) 09:03, 26 August 2017 (UTC)
• Thanks for all the efforts over the years. Sad to see you go so soon. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 11:54, 26 August 2017 (UTC)
• Damn. You were definitely one of the good ones. You will be missed. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 16:57, 26 August 2017 (UTC)
• So that´s why he disappeared. Very sad. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 21:53, 27 August 2017 (UTC)
• DrChrissy was a passionate and vocal editor. I have only had the chance to interact with him a few times, and been struck by his commitment to the encyclopaedia. You'll be missed; my condolences. --Tom (LT) (talk) 06:01, 28 August 2017 (UTC)
• DrChrissy established good foundations for articles about rodents and animal welfare which helped my editing in this space. If he had not developed articles in the "pain in animals" article series then I think no one else would have so early, so what he wrote has already had years of influence during a time when lots of people were eager for information on these topics. I communicated news of his passing to Wikipedia:WikiProject Rodents. Blue Rasberry (talk) 14:44, 29 August 2017 (UTC)

• Last year I noticed the article about bile bears had some serious problems. The lead said nothing at all about animal welfare and [lack of] medicinal efficacy, for example. I made a handful of changes but quickly realized it would be a major project I didn't have the capacity for at the time. I left a message for DrChrissy, knowing it was in his wheelhouse. Over the course of the following week, DrChrissy made more than 100 edits, substantially improving the article while adding about 15k to its size. This is one of countless possible examples of why his passing was a great loss for Wikipedia.

I didn't know him as well as many others, but had a lot of respect for his passion and drive to improve animal welfare-related articles (among others). As far as I'm concerned, one of the best things one can hope for as a member of this community is for your contributions to inspire others to do likewise... to continue, in some way, where you left off. In that spirit, I'm going to commit to bringing pangolin trade, an article I considered asking DrChrissy for feedback on a while back, up to GA. I only mention this very small gesture here in case others might wish to document ways that they have been similarly inspired... — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 04:41, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

• Unfortunately me & Chris never interacted however I saw his name everywhere improving articles or helping someone, RIP Chris, My condolences to friends and family at this sad time xxx –Davey2010^Talk 23:19, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
• Chris, you will be missed and remembered. I'll remember good times at ISAE conferences, especially Guelph 1996. You were a good scientist and made a lasting impact. J — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.210.106.113 (talk • contribs) 13:23, September 18, 2017 (UTC)
• I've only just learned of this. He was a most valuable and committed editor who has left an important legacy here; his death is great loss to Wikipedia, but surely a much greater loss to his family and friends. My deepest sympathy, Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 22:58, 27 September 2017 (UTC)
• God rest his soul. Thank you, Chris, for making this world a better place. WarriorFISH (talk) 02:23, 21 October 2017 (UTC)
• I have only just learned of this myself... rest in peace, Chris. I'll never forget the time "Hot Riley" posted on your user talk page asking for a barnstar and you said that if they were actually "the hot Rachel Riley" only then would you give them one! Thank you so much for making me laugh that day, and thank you for brightening this place up with your wit on a regular basis. You'll be missed by all of us. :( Patient Zero^talk 11:41, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
• Terrible news; he was gone far too soon. I was honored to collaborate with such a knowledgeable and thoughtful scientist at Carnism and some related articles, and I hope he'd approve of my current research. FourViolas (talk) 13:12, 23 October 2017 (UTC)

Just noticed his (personal communication) credit in this classic review of lab animal welfare, and was reminded of what a loss DrChrissy was. RIP FourViolas (talk) 18:15, 25 February 2018 (UTC)

• I just learned of his passing after mentioning him as an exemplary Wikipedian, and a great contributor to our reference desks. We shared many good conversations about biology broadly, but his apparent expertise in animal behavior and clear explanations is what I'll remember. A big loss to the project, my condolences to his friends and family. SemanticMantis (talk) 16:06, 23 October 2017 (UTC)
• We only had a brief chat a couple of years ago, but it taught me the true meaning of "caruncle". InedibleHulk (talk) 03:47, October 24, 2017 (UTC)
• A great loss to the project and, in particular, the Reference Desk, where I more frequently interacted with him. He was an exemplary contributor who will be greatly missed. Matt Deres (talk) 16:33, 24 October 2017 (UTC)
• I miss him. A tremendous help at the reference desk, where he'd explain nature's cruelty and beauty in one succinct answer (and also introduced me to the term "spent hen"). Belatedly, nothing but peace to the Chrissy family and friends. ---Sluzzelin talk 19:39, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
• I am so sorry to learn that this community has lost such a singular contributor as DrChrissy. He was a massive boon to the project, bringing not only his substantial expertise and highly informed perspective to many science related content discussions and editorial work, but also providing a great deal of good sense to the process of developing the project itself. His absence will surely be felt, particularly in our zoological undertakings. My sympathies, belated as they are, to his family and friends, off-project and on; I can only think to say that you must have been justifiably proud of him, and we share that memory now. Snow ^{let's rap} 00:47, 28 October 2017 (UTC)
• Oh no! We were communicating right before he died. I enjoyed our collaborations and the energy he brought to the encyclopedia. I have deep respect for him because of his good humor in enduring 'sanctions' put on his editing. Bye friend, Barbara (WVS) ✐  ✉ ^{and Merry Christmas} 12:46, 17 December 2017 (UTC)
• Thank you for your contributions, DrChrissy. May you forever rest in peace. Lord Sjones23 (talk - contributions) 21:33, 30 March 2018 (UTC)

Please note

Of interest to those who watchlist this page: Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Chris_Sherwin. Montanabw^(talk) 19:40, 21 October 2017 (UTC)

• The result was a very overwhelming Keep. Aspro (talk) 22:35, 15 January 2018 (UTC)