Charlie, you will be sorely missed by all of us ... fly, fly, fly my friend

This may very well be the most difficult blog post I’ve had to write thus far.
As most have already heard, one of our own, Charlie Gurrera, passed away Tuesday. He was one of the most influential, supportive members of not only the LGBTQ community, but all communities.
I’m sure all of us will forever be touched by our experiences with Charlie. He touched so many people’s lives, and made everyone feel so welcome who walked through the doors of Georgie’s, the bar where he served as manager.
Everyone has their own memories that they can hold dear to their hearts. Just one week prior to his death, it was my birthday. I celebrated my birthday at Georgie’s, and as soon as Charlie saw me walk through the door, he made sure to come over, give me a kiss and hug, order me a celebratory drink on him, and laugh as he made sure to supply me with jello shots, as we joked that I had posted on Facebook that I was looking forward to my jello shots and he wanted to make sure I got my birthday wish.
That was just a small part of the type of person Charlie was in our lives. Whenever one of us in the community were struggling with something, having a great day, or just trying to have fun, he was there to offer support, possibly an ear, a laugh, or (and this is funny to me for reasons only he and I know) a half-priced drink coupon.
I haven’t mentioned this too much as of this moment, but when I needed a chance, he was there. A couple of years ago, the job that I had worked so long and hard to reach the top of the ladder cut me loose and laid me off. I had put my life into that job, and in the process neglected a lot of my life, my mother in particular. Then she passed away and I lost that job. I had to reinvent myself, and in the process, I attended bartending school and received my certification.
Unfortunately, except for my best friend Ryan – who allowed me to bartend some at his place, Hotel Tides, most places in the community didn’t want to take a chance on me. It was difficult and I felt very defeated. I think Charlie knew this, and he was going to allow me to do some work at Georgie’s. Turned out shortly after, I took another job back in the media environment.
But still, Charlie was willing to take a chance, when so many other places didn’t want to do it. That meant a lot to me, as most may see me as a proud man and I don’t like to show a weaker side.
I know that so many in the community have their own Charlie moments. His friends, whom he always considered his family, can take some solace in the knowledge that he knew that he was loved, and there are so many photos, videos and snapshots of how much you all loved him.
Being an editor in the media industry, we are always forced to inform the world of the straight facts on something like this. But straight news is not the way this would go. Not only because I considered Charlie a friend, but because so many times, the person is not what the news is on that person in the end – it’s what their entire life and the lives they touched means to the world.
Charlie was an entrepreneur, a staunch supporter of all things LGBTQ, a funny, endearing, passionate young soul who was taken from us far much too soon. He was much more than that to so many of us, and will be sorely missed.
So Charlie, this is for you, a verse from my favorite song, Billy Joel’s “Vienna”:
“Slow down, you crazy child
and take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
it's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize … Vienna waits for you?
And you know that when the truth is told
that you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
Why don't you realize,. Vienna waits for you
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?”