Dylan 'Toke' McIntosh, R.I.P.

[Dittohead]

Porcoa said:

Hello everyone, I don't play Doom, but I did know Dylan, I met him through my cousin who is a good friend of his. I got on the internet to see if the Doom community knew about what has happened. I didn't know if he was still active in it. He was a good person, damn funny, and always down to smoke a bowl. R.I.P. Dylan.

Also no mentioned in the article, the guy who hit him was drunk. He died instantly.


EDIT: If anyone would like more information or anything, you can contact me at Porcoa@Gmail.com.

Another death caused by drunk driving. Fucking bullshit.

I didn't know Toke at all, actually. But I send my regards to all his family and friends. And from the sounds of it, he will be sorely missed not only here, but with his family as well. Rest in peace.

[Craigs]

I'm not really sure what else I could say. This was the most shocking thing I have ever had happen to me. I never thought something like this could possibly happen to Toke, or anyone else for that manner in this community. His death taught me a lesson. Life is so fragile, it's easy for someone you know to die, no matter how tough you think they are. I don't know why, but I always thought of Toke as invincible.

[tourettes]

I am organizing a Toke tribute wad, more info at.

http://forums.zdaemon.org/viewtopic...der=asc&start=0

I am looking for other doom forums Toke posted on to get the word out on this tribute so everyone can help contribute a map.


R.I.P Toke

[Doom_Dude]

tourettes your link doesn't work.

Here is the link if anybody is interested.
http://forums.zdaemon.org/viewtopic.php?t=8730&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[TimeOfDeath]

This is terrible news. :(
My condolences to his family and friends.

I was really shocked when I read about this two days ago, as I imagine many were. Toke was one of the first friends I made on ZDaemon when I started playing in 2004. We met when he started making coopbuild and testing the maps on GSN. I was lucky enough to have been one of the regular testers. Those were fun times. A bunch of us would be playing on the server and then Toke would show up with news about new maps and asked if we would help test. It was really cool seeing the maps evolve through each new version of the wad and I'm glad I still have all of the versions I downloaded. I remember I didn't even recognize map11 after he detailed it heh. His mapping was very inspiring and influential. I'll never forget those days.

Toke and Vampy were the first people I ever deathmatched with, and I was beaten badly. I dueled with Toke again several months ago on dwango 5 map01 and my goal was to get 10 frags. He knew I wasn't much of a deathmatcher and he seemed like he wanted to help. A few months ago he told me about the idea he had of making a Doom info site with guides, tips, and everything. He asked me to help test out some of the new features he was making for the site. Recently I've been meaning to ask him how the site has been doing...

We also shared some music interests like Goatwhore and he mentioned that he went to see one of their concerts. Also, a few months ago he told me that he quit doing hard drugs, which I thought was a good achievement and was happy for him.

I always considered him to be a good guy deep down and he was someone I looked up to. He made a big impact on my life and I'll never forget him.

R.I.P.

[june gloom]

you know, the mere fact that he quit doing hard drugs a few scant months before his death only makes this sadder.

[tourettes]

sorry about my link, i copied the post from the wads section, because it didnt seem like many people saw it. I really hope I can get the word out enough about this tribute wad. Toke was a great mapper, i thought it was very cool of him to make it game play first, and the way it looked came later. Something that inspired me when I started mapping.

[Quasar]

dethtoll said:

you know, the mere fact that he quit doing hard drugs a few scant months before his death only makes this sadder.

I don't know; that is one thing I am very happy to hear. Anyways, I'm currently awaiting news from his friend about when the services will be (the World didn't say, the funeral home hasn't posted it on their site yet, and there's still no obituary.) I am considering attending to represent the community, though I must say the prospect of a 180 mile round-trip drive is, given the circumstances, somewhat terrifying :(

EDIT: Today the Tulsa World reposted the notice with date & location info: Visitation 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Moore's Southlawn Funeral Home, and service 1 p.m. Friday, Southern Hills Baptist Church. So I have a decision to make quickly.

[pritch]

I only just got back online after my modem got fried in a storm last week, so this is a huge shock.

Toke could grate on me at times when we chatted on IRC, but that was because he had personality, and I thought he'd be one of the ones I'd get on well with if I met irl, and some of the chats we had about wads and stuff I really enjoyed.

He was a proper, proper Doomer of the oldschool. There was a lot going on around him and the community will be a measurably lesser place without his involvement and help.

More importantly though are those who were close to him and I think of them today.

I hope you rest easy Dylan.

pritch

[Cadman]

I didn't know you well, you will be missed, and thanks for all your great contributions to the Doom Community!

Cadman

[june gloom]

Quasar said:

I don't know; that is one thing I am very happy to hear.

i think you misread me. he'd quit doing hard drugs and had his whole life ahead of him, then bam, this happens.

[Vorpal]

Hm, I haven't looked at Doom or Doomworld much for a good 4 years, but when I do... damn ;(

I only ever beat him once in some TeamTNT map, he was a fierce player.

[Quasar]

dethtoll said:

i think you misread me. he'd quit doing hard drugs and had his whole life ahead of him, then bam, this happens.

I know, it is unfortunate. I'm just saying I'm happy to hear that he quit the hard stuff at any rate :)

[june gloom]

yeah, if nothing else at least he died relatively clean.

[Zack]

Quasar said:

I am considering attending to represent the community, though I must say the prospect of a 180 mile round-trip drive is, given the circumstances, somewhat terrifying :(

Quasar, that would be really great if you went. If gas prices are stopping you I can Paypal you something. I wish I lived closer...

Some funeral services give attendees the chance to stand up and say some final words. It would be neat if you could mention his influence on our corner of the gaming community and that he'll be missed by hundreds of acquaintences he's never even met IRL...I think that would be nice.

[CacoDoomer]

I have no idea who this guy is but I'll say it anyway.

Rest in peace fellow DOOMer.

[deathz0r]

Quasar said:

I am considering attending to represent the community,

You're not alone.

[Quasar]

I agree that would be cool but I doubt I could do it because it would make me want to break down I think. I'm pretty emotional :P

[Ralphis]

I first recieved a call from my brother on Monday night about this while I was away at Band Camp. Needless to say, my week was nothing short of ruined.

Toke and I had a long lived relationship with eachother. To me, a very significant one. He was the first Doomer I ever played a game of deathmatch with online. He and I alike were both new to doomserv and we got along well and began playing with eachother.

The first match we ever played together was on doom2 map13. Neither of us knew how to properly deathmatch well and I would try to snipe him from the roofs.

As years passed and the online doom multiplayer community grew, Toke and I both became very involved in whatever was happening around us. We often worked together on projects (most of which never got finished admittedly) and some of which did. Toke made contributions to Unidoom's UDM1 and UDM3 amongst other projects which will be released within due time. Both he and I played a large role in promoting and supporting ZDaemon during its climb to the most popular multiplayer sourceport.

In the world of the internet it's hard to consider many people your real "friends" , and as cliche as it will sound, Toke was a good friend of mine. Things often went beyond Doom between us.

It truly is a pity that in recent years Toke had destroyed his drug problems and begun to build himself a highway to success in life only to have it taken away from him at such a young age.

So to my friend Dylan, you will be sorely missed by our corner of the internet and even more so by me man. Keep rockin' it wherever you are you fag.

[Piezo]

The only exchange I ever remember having with his was telling him to hurry up and pass me the weed while no one was looking (this was in #NotZDoomRelated, and at the moment we were the only two there.) He was away so he didn't even see it as far as I know. That's about it.
Nonetheless, this is very tragic.

[DeumReaper]

I didn't know Toke very well, and he probably forgot who I was; I've only joined a Zdaemon server when he was on probably around 3 or 4 times that I can recall. I enjoyed the maps that he made (vex-zdaemon.wad, coopbuild-, to name a few) and I can confidently say that he was a good person.
Anyways, what happened did happen and I will respect him for who he was and what an influence the community has been given from him.

R.I.P.

[Quasar]

http://www.ultimatetributes.com/tributes/intro.asp?ID=1853

This is a site set up by the funeral home for his family and friends to share the things they remember him by. It's very touching and kinda sad, but also really nice. There's a place you can leave comments; please be sensitive if you choose to use it.

[RandomMarine]

Ralphis said:

...we got along well and began playing with eachother.

Even in times like this I still giggle at comments like that.

Anyway it is indeed sad to see such a respected member of this community to pass, I have enjoyed many of his maps and despised even a couple, after all, nobody is perfect.

R.I.P Dylan 'Toke' McIntosh.

[Dittohead]

Quasar said:

http://www.ultimatetributes.com/tributes/intro.asp?ID=1853

This is a site set up by the funeral home for his family and friends to share the things they remember him by. It's very touching and kinda sad, but also really nice. There's a place you can leave comments; please be sensitive if you choose to use it.

Quasar, you should really put something in there. I would, but I didn't know Dylan very well and it might seem out of place. As dorky as it sounds, he deserves recognition for his work in this community, even if people don't have a clue about it.

[Quasar]

I did it. It wasn't easy to write those things and to know that his friends and family will see them, but I feel my words ring true and should be supportive to them in their grief. I will be attending the funeral tomorrow, assuming that everything goes as planned. A few people have said that it might be rude to show up unannounced so it makes me feel hesitant :(

[Mordeth]

Thanks, James.

[fraggle]

I am currently on holiday and just saw this. Damn :-(

My first interactions with Toke were in opposing sides of a flamewar over Doomserv but that seems like a million years ago now. Recently he and I had many extended discussions on IRC. He's provided no end of help and guidance to me as I've been developing Chocolate Doom. Toke had a real passion for Doom and the community has lost someone of great value. This is really sad.

RIP Toke.

[Zack]

Quasar said:

A few people have said that it might be rude to show up unannounced so it makes me feel hesitant :(

That's insane. If someone really does think that showing regards and showing respect is rude then they better not expect anybody to show up at their funeral.

The last funeral I went to was for an online friend's former fiance. It meant a lot to him, and I didn't know her at all.

[Quasar]

Well, I'm back and in one piece. I was so moved by this experience, and it is difficult to put everything into words, but here we go.

I left from Shawnee at 10 AM, driving down I-40 amidst the indescribable beauty of Oklahoma during summer. The drive took 2 hours exactly, and I made one wrong turn in Tulsa thanks to some confusing Google Map directions, but I was able to get back on track fairly easily.

I arrived at Southern Hills Baptist Church at noon, which was an hour before the service started. At first I was a little regretful for showing up too early, but I went in and signed the guest book after a couple of minutes. One of the funeral directors ran into me and asked me if I wanted to sign the casket. His friends and family had already covered most of the lid with heartfelt messages. I added my own after reading a few of the others and trying to get my hand to be steady. It said something like this:

"Dylan, all your friends online miss you very much. We will never forget you. James Haley"

Just knowing that he was inside, resting peacefully as I wrote these words was a powerful but painful experience.

The casket was brown and was made of wood, and it was surrounded by boquets of flowers, including a top spread with red roses. A sign apparently made by his sailing friends sat nearby and said "Dylan James McIntosh -- Waves of Life" or something similar to that (please forgive me for losing track of some of the finer details due to my emotions) and had pictures of him sailing. On two screens on the wall of the chapel his picture and name were displayed by projectors.

Some of his family members were the only ones present right then, so I took a seat further back in the chapel to avoid making anybody uncomfortable. Not very long after, a man who looked incredibly like Dylan but much older came into the room -- it was his father. He talked to a few of his relatives, and then noticed me and came over to me. I stood up and shook his hand and introduced myself, and explained how I met Dylan. He thanked me for coming and we shared a few more words, then he informed me the family was going to leave for lunch.

I went back out into the foyer and sat on a bench for a while and one of the funeral directors talked to me for a while. After not very long at all, people began arriving, so I went back into the chapel. In very little time almost the entire chapel filled up, and I estimate there were at least 200 people in attendance, with about equal numbers of friends and family.

Some jazzy rock music started to play softly, and I later learned that this was music from one of his favorite CDs. Once it was time to begin, they changed the music to his favorite song (unfortunately I don't know the name of it), and his family filed in.

After a moment of silence, the music died down and the two screens up at the front started to display a Life Story picture slideshow movie which detailed Dylan's life in a somewhat reversed order, starting with the same pictures that are on his tribute website, and then going on and on. I think there were probably a hundred pictures at least, and many of them were funny and made people laugh, while others made tears. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house after the first few. Many of the pics were of Dylan with his pets and doing many of his favorite activities, which included skiing, snowboarding, water skiing, and sailing.

After this finished, the Rev. Rick Watson talked for a long time, reading the obituary word for word and then adding much more of his own material, largely humorous anecdotes from Dylan's life. After he finished, family members and friends were invited to speak. Four or five people spoke in all, and each had different light, humorous tales to tell. One of his friends did break down after telling us about how without Dylan, he wouldn't have his job with computers or know anything about them. His father spoke the longest, and had 5 different stories to tell, mostly about some of the antics of Dylan's younger days, like when he sent up a model rocket stuffed full of firecrackers and accidentally set a soccer field on fire :)

After this was finished, prayers were offered, the casket was opened, and we began to file out one row at a time, stopping to speak with his parents. Dylan held a ratchet in one hand, a suggestion to his father from a friend that he should be buried with one of his beloved tools.

When my time to stand came, I moved out in the aisle and slowly walked in procession until I came to the front. After taking a moment to look at Dylan, which was really hard to do, I turned to his mother. She took my hand and I introduced myself to her saying "It's very nice to meet you," and taking a moment to say a few of the things I had earlier said to his father (he had actually already told her some of these things and reminded her when she almost confused me with somebody else). I told her these words:

"He had many, many friends online and we all miss him. But I will be sure to let everyone know how nice this was," and she thanked me. I then shook his father's hand again and left the chapel.

I attended the graveside service as well. He was buried in Memorial Park Cemetary, which was old and incredibly ornate with statuary and monuments. Dylan's casket was taken up to the grave site and set down, then his family was guided into the tent. Another prayer was offered, and then his family placed dozens of single red roses atop the casket one by one. Big red balloons were released to symbolize letting go, and then everybody just talked for a while. I waited a while to be respectful and then left quietly and made my way home, although not without leaving many tears along the long path.

All in all it was an incredible and deeply touching experience, and I am so glad to have had the chance to represent our community there. I didn't know all there was to know about Dylan, but what I did know about him I really liked. Soon we will move on and the shock and pain of this loss will fade, but like I wrote on his casket, we will never forget him.

EDIT: I found out the CD being played was Lynyrd Skynyrd. One of the songs that was played while we were filing out was "What's Your Name?"

[Sharessa]

Thank you, Quasar, for representing those of us who could not make it.