Hi All, This is Caterina 'Cathy', Cliff's ex-wife. My story of Cliff is from long ago, as we were married in '92 and separated by '94, way before he started doing any of this insane shit. Although he did other insane stuff back then! I fell in love with Cliff the minute I saw him. He had stars shooting out of his head...Ok, I might have been a bit buzzed. We were 19, and at a party, but I really did see them, like fireworks. It was an experience that I will never forget and the only one that I ever had quite that way. We were together for 8 years and they were formative. We became adults together, making the same stupid mistakes we all make. We stuck it out as long as possible, but we started taking each other for granted and it was time to separate. We did it amicably knowing that both of us were responsible for the way it turned out. He was an argumentative 'fuck' back then and it bummed me out a lot. We did have a really good time together, we traveled, we skied, we saw the Butthole Surfers, Frank Zappa and many other bands, including our friends the Six and Violence. Men, have been told I have good taste in music and I attribute much of my education in this area to Cliff. During our time together I really fell in love with his family, too, especially Linda, his mother. She was truly an inspiring person who was compassionate and very loving. I loved the rest of them, too. I was an aspiring choreographer and dancer and through my artistic activities he met the likes of the upstanding Marco (what a degenerate you were, back then!), Bob Berger and Jeff Bock. He got a motorcycle when we separated and then I guess he went down the 'adventurers' path. Wow! I never would have imagined him doing this. But he was a willful man who was not afraid of the reality that the universe had to serve up. The last time I spoke to him in April, I called him to try to get a copy of our divorce decree, as I was getting married. I shared with him that I was pregnant and he seemed genuinely excited for me and that I was marrying Patrick, someone he's known for about 10 years. I'm really sad for Jen, who seems to have made the impact I was trying to make 15 years ago. Ah, the impetuous nature of youth! Yay, Jen for giving him the gift of experiencing 'family' and 'children'. I'm having that experience now and I'm glad he got to have it with you. Someone please set up a grant in his name for sky diving safety. It sounds like he was dedicated to supreme safety in this incredibly beautiful, yet dangerous, sport! Love to all who had the opportunity to cross paths with him. May your grieving be short and your memories long. Cliff will be remembered by many in many different ways. Love, Caterina 'Cathy' Bartha-Daniels
