After a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease, my father, Earl Kanter, passed away peacefully. While I feel a profound sense of loss, what gives me comfort is the fact that I had a remarkable father. I’m left with a final life lesson from him: love never dies. His spirit, intelligence, joy of life, sense of humor, and wisdom will always be with me and my family.

In this age of connectedness and social networks, grieving online has become standard procedure. My colleague, Sarah Granger, wrote a thoughtful piece on the different stages of grieving online. Since I work in social media and have a very public life online, I intuitively started a very open and transparent online grieving process.

A few hours after my Dad passed,  I posted this tribute and photo on my Facebook profile.  My father had a lifelong love of the ocean and was a life guard for many years for the Ventnor City Beach Patrol.  He was also an accomplished competitive swimmer, and loved frolicking in the hurricane swells that sweep the ocean in late summer. He introduced surfing to the Jersey Shore in the 1960’s. He was an early adopter of the sport who taught himself how to surf and owned the first Greg Noll surfboard. In an article about his surfing career in the local newspaper he said, “I like the thrill of riding a large wave – it’s like climbing Mount Everest.”

But, I wanted to do more to honor his memory than simply share the news with my Facebook friends. I set up this online fundraiser for the Surf Rider Foundation and donations started to pour in.

My Dad was also an early adopter geek and loved gadgets. His first computer was an Apple IIE in 1980. He got on Facebook in 2007, shortly after it opened up to “old people like your dear old dad.”

He started using SKYPE soon after it was launched.  One of our most memorable Skype calls was when I had forgotten to switch off SKYPE during a presentation to health care nonprofits about social media in 2007.  Participants in their 60s and 70s were protesting they were “too old” to use the service when my Dad’s SKYPE call showed up on the screen.  I told them that my Dad was almost 90 and if he could use the Internet, they could too!

He was interested in my social media work work and used to say, “My daughter the blogger.” He wanted to learn how to blog.  He started his own blog, although short-lived, called “My Name Is Earl.” He allowed me to interview him for my YouTube Channel about the experience. I spent a few weeks with him before he died and entertained him by taking “selfies” with my mobile phone.

To further honor my Dad’s memory and his love of the ocean and technology, I am organizing a virtual “Paddle Out” on Twitter and Facebook. An paddle out is a memorial service that surfers do to honor a fellow surfer who has passed away.  The surfers paddle out to a suitable location with flower leis around their necks or with loose flowers (sometimes held between their teeth). The participants then get into a circular formation, hold hands, and pray.

On July 3rd, I want join hands with people who knew my dad, surfers, and other people or organizations who care deeply about the ocean to celebrate his memory and great love for the ocean by tweeting or posting with the hashtag #OceanLoveEarl with their favorite ocean story or ocean conservation link. My Dad shared his love of the ocean with me. Now I’d like to beam it back to him and all over the world.

Please join me on July 3rd to celebrate my Dad’s love of the ocean and raise awareness about ocean conservation. For more information, visit this site or donate to Surf Rider Foundation in his memory.

Written by Beth Kanter

Beth Kanter is a well-established international leader who helps nonprofits use social media. Her first book, “The Networked Nonprofit,” introduced the sector to a new way of thinking and operating in a connected world.  Her second book, “Measuring the Networked Nonprofit,” is a practical guide for using measurement and learning to achieve social impact.   She is the author of Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media, and is considered the go-to source for how nonprofits can use networks and social media for social change.  Beth has over 30 years working in the nonprofit sector and has facilitated trainings for nonprofits on every continent in the world (except Antarctica).  Named one of the most influential women in technology by Fast Company and one of the BusinessWeek’s “Voices of Innovation for Social Media,” Beth is Visiting Scholar at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation 2009-2013.

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