It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Phil Gosch (known as Saphires) and his wife, Mikaela. Our deepest condolences go out to their families and all those who held them close.
Phil was an integral part of the Blender community, having been with us from the early days. He had deep 3D and coding knowledge was always advocating for Blender. We had the pleasure of hanging out with him on multiple Blender Conferences, where he also presented his work relating to Blender and AI last year. I got to know Phil a passionate, level-headed and very funny person.
Phil and Mikaela were also active in the Austrian skateboarding scene; a tribute in their memory can be found here: Tribute to Phil and Mikaela (Google translated).
They had just gotten married in Greece in August. Tragically, during what should have been a blissful honeymoon, they were caught in the midst of the devastating floods.
Please feel free to leave a memory of Phil or a message in the replies below.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Phil Gosch and his wife Mikaela, but please, accept my deepest condolences as well. Hope they reunited now in the sky.
How does one write something of the passing of peers with same interest but no other connection than Blender? There is a connection, a joy, a struggle, a path that we share. When it should be the biggest start of their life, it was abruptly ended. We share the pain and sadness in these moments too.
I’m crying, I was blessed with a family of my own. The path we are taking might be hard but the gift of life should not be granted and the empathy of fellow human should always be present.
My mind is racing on how they would have kids and how loving parents they would have been. The years together, joy and sadness, always together.
This is tragic. I am so sorry for your loss. I didn’t know the man, aside from watching the talk you linked some time ago. As a newlywed myself I can’t fathom seeing it end so soon after it began. I’m going to hug my wife really tight when she’s back from work. Take care.
My condolences to the friends and families who now have to grieve, and for the loss of what these two might still have contributed to the world. Seems like they already made such a mark!
@bartv Please be sure to share if there’s anything we can do, if there’s any support or anything at all that we can contribute.
Such a tragic unforeseeable event and just so sad. All my thoughts go out to those close to them. It is so difficult in times like this. We can simply try to keep them in our thoughts and dreams and to hold on to all that they were. All that they set in motion and all those that were connected through them and who remember them best can ensure that their presence will continue on.
For those who were close to them there are no words adequate. There is no sense or reason to something like this. Nothing that can be said. All I think we can do is to try to know how precious our lives are and how precious are those we love and to make the most we can of every moment we have. The threads that bind us together and keep us whole are so fragile and need to be cherished. Life and living and those you love and who love you is what is most important of all.
I didn’t know Phil but it’s really sad to hear, long time blender user’s community is like a big family and it’s always sad for me to learn it looses some of it’s members.
My condolences to their families and friend, hoping that with time they manage to get though that devastating time !
I knew Phil personally from the indie scene here in Graz. He was probably the nicest dev i’ve ever encountered in my hometown, just a soul of a person. This news was really shocking to me. Rest in peace, brother, you will be missed dearly.
