"We are in the Universe, and the Universe is in us"

We're having the last and final memorial for Aaron Joseph Gotfried, scattering his ashes in a natural eco system setting (Forest Preserve) bringing Peace and closer that symbolizes his return to nature and the release of his spirit back to the cosmos.

I will sorely miss Aaron cause I loved him. He was the kindest man i ever met, Sleep in the stars Aaron forever!

In memory of Aaron Joseph Gotfried, Michael Gotfried lit a candle

The joy of having a son like Aaron was love beyond, that resonates in my heart as his father for ever. I will always LOVE my Son. My son has made me laugh, made me proud, made me cry, seen me cry, hugged me tight, seen me fail, cheered me up, kept me on my toes, and inspired me on levels of intellect unmatched. But my Son will always be the best friend I ever had. The best thing I taught my son was selflessness and kindness. To stand up for yourself and others who cant. To fight for equality and a science based future, to be a skeptic and most of all a critical thinker. I am forever grateful for having a son like Aaron. Aaron was my hero! I am lost in my search for him, knowing he is nowhere on this earth anymore, and still I can feel his sweet warm personality and our conversations we used to have about life and the theory of everything in the universe. I keep seeing him everywhere, in every full moon, in the stars of the milky-way, and in each brilliant day. His spirit will soar in his passing but when I look over my shoulder, he is not there anymore, something I my never completely come to terms with. I will carry Aaron for the rest of my life. He lives within me forever and ever. " Energy is neither created nor destroyed it only changes form" We all come from space dust and we will all return back to the cosmos from which we came. Aaron's energy goes on for ever!!there is no more avenue to rebuild, there is no way he can be replaced; there are no second chances; there are no do-overs. Time reminds us to Cherish every moment cause they will never come again.

The world is so exquisite, with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better, it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look Death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides.” It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring" “Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?”“If we long to believe that the stars rise and set for us, that we are the reason there is a Universe, does science do us a disservice in deflating our conceits?”“The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.”“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.”“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”“A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later such a religion will emerge.”“At the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes—an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense.”“It is the responsibility of scientists never to suppress knowledge, no matter how awkward that knowledge is, no matter how it may bother those in power; we are not smart enough to decide which pieces of knowledge are permissible, and which are not.”“It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.”“Science is a way to not fool ourselves.”“Skepticism enables us to distinguish fancy from fact, to test our speculations.”“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”“The cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be.” (CARL SAGAN)

Aaron

That's was so beautifully said Aunt Debbie and brought tears to my eyes . ❤️

The love I hold in my heart and soul is eternal for my dear Son Aaron Joseph. Aaron was my joy, my best friend, my confidant, my inspiration, my life! He and I ALWAYS had each others back in time of need, we made sure each other would overcome any obstacle. I loved having meaningful conversations with him that couldn't match the depth of any other, his knowledge was extensive and based on reality and facts and compassion!!! You can imagine that made for growth and actual enlightenment. No exaggeration! His deep love of music was often heard throughout our home, his hobbies, writing, drawing, computer graphics, self taught technology applications, ripping apart any electronic device he got his hands on was for fun transformed into his Engineering career. Self made Man fir sure. Aaron was at the pinnacle of his life, experiencing self growth with confidence having great plans for his future. Although nothing came easy for Aaron, He was positive of the outcome because He took control of his strategies for a victorious outcome. There was no other option in his mind! I will REALLY miss his cooking he would create DELICIOUS meals. When I became I'll he did all the shopping and cooked for our family YUM. I am a very proud Mother, Aaron exceeded all my "expectations" I had imagined for him as a Man when he was borned. What a wonderful, kind hearted Man Aaron IS! I will miss him every minute of every day for the rest of my life. I love you my Son. My heart is broken nothing can replace you, ever. With all my love, Mom.

RIP, Aaron! Uncle Mark and Aunty Sara I know are with you as you enter The Good Place. We will miss you, especially our conversations we had the last few weeks. We will always have our memories as you, Joey and Jeremy were growing up together. The sleep overs, birthday parties, our trip to Wisconsin Dells, and family BBQ's. I'm so sorry we aren't going to go to September Fest like we planned. All our Love, Aunty Michelle, Jeremy and Joey Weitzman

Aaron was the sweetest. I saw him at work all the time and he always was cheerful and enjoyable to talk to. He will be sorely missed. Many condolences to his family.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.