Remembrances & Condolences

Memories shared about Dr. Karl Stockhausen.

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Mark
September 20, 2009 at 11:00 am —
2004: A few years ago, I was reading a book by Richard Feynman while Karl was driving us, probably too fast, through the mountains in a rainstorm. He inquired what I was reading about, and the ensuing conversion about what a waste it is to read physics for fun and do nothing other than be a climb bum forever changed the direction of my life. That conversation was quintessential Karl, and I am sure there are many others who have bettered themselves in part because of him.
– Mark
Mark
September 20, 2009 at 12:00 pm —
2000: Karl was always ready to tackle the next big adventure. Back in his undergrad years I drove through the night to visit him and go climbing at Looking Glass in North Carolina. He was ready to head to the crag the second I walked in the door. In our haste to get on the rock, we left the guide book on the coffee table in his apartment. Unfortunately we did not realize this until we had arrived at our destination. Not one to be dissuaded by such a minor detail as not knowing where any of the routes were, or what they were rated, Karl convinced me to hike with him to face and rope up anyway. About 5 pitches and over 400 feet of vertical granite later we noticed that we were quickly losing daylight. We pushed through a few more pitches until we made it to a 45 degree slab that we thought we could traverse to some rappel anchors. It was not long before the sun was down and there were still no anchors to be found. When we looked out we could see the top of a tree only thirty or so feet down. Our logic quickly formed that the tree must be growing out of the ground, and our ropes were definitely longer than the tree was tall, so this could be our ticket. We slung the rope around the nearest and least sketchy shrubbery, which I never want to see in daylight, and headed down. We were right about our ropes being long enough to reach the base of the tree; however, we were quite wrong about the tree growing out of the ground. Instead it was growing on a small ledge about as big as a queen sized mattress. Finally coming back to our senses, the reality set in that we were still hundreds of feet off the ground. We then decided even though the temperature was going to get down to freezing, and we were in climbing shoes, shorts and t-shirts, and we had no food or water since the early afternoon, the safest thing was to just dig in and wait for the sun to come up. We spent the rest of the night in an interlocked fetal position, with our heads and arms tucked in our shirts like oversized turtle popsicles. Once light returned, we quickly found the rappel anchors no more than 15 feet away. Although, at the time, the night could not end soon enough, it will always be one of the best nights in memory. – Mark
Carole Jean
September 21, 2009 at 12:26 pm —
1983: When Rachel was in kindergarten and had a half day of school, Karl would go to the front window and start watching for her when it was close to the time she would come home. It took a while to figure it out but it was probably that he knew that when he started getting hungry it would be time for Rachel to arrive. After they ate she would sit him down and play “school” with him. This love of learning continued for both of them as they talked “medicine” forever (Rachel became a dentist). – Carole Jean
Carole Jean
September 22, 2009 at 11:12 pm —
1985: As a child it seemed that Karl was always moving so fast, or climbing on everything, that he was constantly getting hurt. Due to the cuts, abrasions, stitches, etc. he was given the nickname of “Mr. Bump” at an early age. Consequently, we spent a lot of time in the ER with him. One cannot help but wonder if those many trips to the ER were embedded on his little brain and he never forgot it, and that is how his desire to be an ER doctor originated. – Carole Jean
Carole Jean
September 22, 2009 at 11:13 pm —
1985: One day when my mom went to pick up Karl from a play-date the mother of the other child told my mom that the kids were playing house. She said that Karl sat down at the little table and said in a loud voice “You burned the chicken AGAIN!!” Since this is something he never heard at home it shows his humor started at a young age! – Rachel
Rachel
September 22, 2009 at 11:16 pm —
1986: When Karl was a baby, my mom called him “my-happy-to-be-on-board” kid. He could still be called that as an adult because of his complete love for life. – Rachel
Juliet
September 22, 2009 at 11:18 pm —
1990: At one point, as big sister, I wanted to spend more one-on-one time with each of my siblings and so I created “quality time” or “Q.T” as I called it. They could choose whatever they wanted to do, just the two of us. At that time Karl was nine years old and was really into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the movie had just been released. He knew mom certainly wasn’t going to take him so it was an opportunistic request. I remember his excitement as we walked up the carpeted steps to the theater when he caught a glimpse of each cardboard cutout he’d shout out their names ‘Raphael!’ ‘Michelangelo!’ ‘Donatello!’ ‘Leonardo!’. I don’t know about the other siblings but we did so many things together he became the “QT boy” for ever more. – Juliet
Bill
September 22, 2009 at 11:19 pm —
1994: Karl was starting 7th grade when he suddenly became interested in hockey. All the kids in the neighborhood played street hockey, but none played on the ice. So, independently, Karl investigated what teams were available for him to join, where they played, etc. He told us where we had to be to get him registered, and that we had to be in line at 6:00am in order for him to get on a team. He checked out what equipment he had to have, located some used items to reduce expense, and called to arrange for tryouts and practices. His motivation and enthusiasm was infectious. He was playing with, and against, kids that had been already playing for as much as 5 years. He was voted ‘Most Improved Player’ by his teammates and the coach. He only played for one year – it was something that he wanted to do, but decided instead to put his energies into scouting. When he made up his mind to do something he threw his heart and soul into it – to accomplish the task and achieve the goal. – Bill
Stocky
September 22, 2009 at 11:19 pm —
1995: It has to be 15 years ago, Karl and I were running up to Novi Auto Parts for some parts for ‘Jimmy’ my old jeep. I had found Jimmy maybe a year earlier, and (as today) he had a lot of kinks to be worked out. Case in point, the fuel gauge didn’t work. We were in between 9 and 10 Mile roads on Novi Rd when inexplicably we ran out of gas. We walked the ¾ of a mile up to the next intersection and gas station, and picked up a gallon of gas in the little can I would carry for such instances, and had made it about half way back to the jeep when the menacing storm clouds that had been hanging around all day, heavily-laden with rain, opened up and started a good ole Midwest thunderstorm. We sat there on the side of the road, hoping for a ride, traffic blowing by, the small, red emblematic gas can in between us, slowly getting soaked to the bone. The occurrence sunk into Karl that the reason that he was on this specific hike, alongside a busy road, soaked was because his brother hadn’t fixed the gas gauge. We sat there not saying a word, I with a “what-me” cheesy smile and Karl just plain stewing. Karl turned and started slowly marching towards the jeep. The first puddle he hit he stopped in his path, up to his ankle in muddy, oily water, I cringed. Within another 100 feet he’s stomping in each puddle in anger, and by the time we made Jimmy our Bataan death march had evolved into getting as big a splash as we could out of each puddle and by the time we were emptying the contents of the gas can we were hooting and dancing – our sides aching with laughter. No matter how bad a scrape we got into Karl never let me slide on the knowledge that “I” had gotten us into the situation and no matter how mad he was at me it never led to anything other then gales of laughter. – Stocky
Bill
September 22, 2009 at 11:21 pm —
1996: Karl and I shared many great experiences in Boy Scouts – particularly many, many campouts and going to Florida Sea Base and National Jamboree. The high point for me, though, was going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. For the leaders it was a challenge physically, for the scouts it was a challenge of patience and teamwork. After many days of hiking long distances with heavy packs, up hill and down hill, cooking and cleanup, and gear set-up and break-down, the culmination was the climb to the top of Mt. Baldy at 12,441 feet. Reaching the summit after huffing and puffing like a steam engine, it was a truly exhilarating experience. The feeling of accomplishment, the incredible vista from that height, actually looking down on the clouds – all of this was totally awesome, and a physical as well as spiritual moment to share. Possibly this was the start of his inspiration to rock climb. – Bill
Stocky
September 22, 2009 at 11:22 pm —
1997: At some point when I was in college and Karl would have been in early high school, Karl, Amy (my girlfriend at the time) and I were coming home from a Goo Goo Dolls concert. We were driving home down I-96, there had been a terrible flash flood, and as we passed Evergreen we came upon a pick-up that had lost control, spun out, and plowed into the Jersey barrier. We were the first on the scene, pulled over, and put Amy on the CB to get police and an ambulance. Karl and I hopped out with my EMT jump bag and started to assess the couple in the pick-up. I stationed Karl in the bed of the pick-up holding c-spine on the woman to prevent further injury to her spine. Karl, looking so young, with intent and open eyes, never questioned the procedures I was explaining to him, or the fact that he was kneeling in the bed of a pick-up, 90 degrees to traffic flow, in the passing lane of a major interstate in Detroit. As he, for the first time, took a carotid pulse with his pinky finger while holding c-spine, he was calm and in an element that would become his life’s work. I was assessing the driver, who was wedged in his seat with the crumpled front of the truck trapping both his legs. In what had seemed like only moments, we had control of the scene and were calming the two patients. Then things got worse. A screech of tires from behind me said that we were about to join this couple in the statistics column. I started to yell instructions to Karl to brace his elbows in the truck window and close his eyes and mouth when we were hit. His eyes were calm and taking everything in, the thought of leaving these random people and abandoning ship never crossed his mind, nor did fear ever arrive. The vehicle must have lost a fair amount of speed before hitting us, because we didn’t get pushed too much further. I was wedged in the driver’s door, Karl surfing in the bed of the pick-up. I never asked what went through Karl’s head while our triage unit was being moved down I-96. Later, after the cavalry had showed up, and the couple had been extracted and transported to the hospital, and we were back on the road towards home. I asked him, and his only thought was, “it was exciting!” Always the master of the understatement, and never letting on to his simple or heroic actions in the face of what I thought was certain death, Karl never left what was possibly his first patient, and was unflappable in the face of an ordeal that would have been harrowing for a seasoned EMT. – Stocky
Bill
September 22, 2009 at 11:22 pm —
1997: When I turned 50 we had a family powwow and discussed many things, one of which was for the kids to decide which projects they were interested in seeing finished and which they didn’t care about (so that the number of unfinished projects that they would be inheriting would be minimized). The highest priority was the mill, and one of the lowest was the 1931 Ford dump truck that I had gotten many years previous to restore with one or both of the boys. But, Karl said that if I wanted to do a hot rod he’d be interested in helping me. So the dump truck was sold, and I bought a basket case hot rod project found on-line. Karl, son-in-law Todd and I drove to Minneapolis to pick up the individual pieces. It was Thanksgiving weekend and fortunately the weather was mild. We had all the parts spread out all over the guy’s driveway and garage floor. He was pulling them out from all over the house including the bedrooms. Karl was on the clipboard checking off the parts as they were laid out. At last he said, “Dad, everything is here except the 4 barrel carbs.” Well the guy looked and looked and finally found them in the laundry. Getting them all the way home was another adventure. By the time the chassis was assembled several years later it was closing in on Thanksgiving and he was going away to med school at the end of the year. He asked about being able to drive it around the block before he left. I told him that without a working steering system, brakes, and an engine that that would be a tall order. So, he said what about just firing up the engine. Well, that would also be a challenge because there were no pistons, camshaft, valve gear and other misc parts. But we got the engine together and on December 28, after clearing the snow off the driveway, pushed it out of the garage and fired it up. The exhaust headers were wide open and it shook the house and rattled the plates on the dining room wall. Karl got some neat photos including one of flames coming out of the headers. We were the first to get this set of headers as a new release from Hot Heads – a hemi engine specialty parts supplier. This particular photo was sent in to Hot Heads, and it is still featured on its catalog header web page today. It has been lots of fun despite the fact that the rod still hasn’t made it down the driveway. Karl had become quite good with photography and this certainly showed it. – Bill
Carole Jean
September 22, 2009 at 11:23 pm —
1998: Karl’s grandfather (Carole Jean’s father) was one of the earliest Eagle scouts and had a merit badge sash that covered both sides and had three palms, which each represented five merit badges beyond the required 21 for Eagle. Luke was determined to earn enough merit badges to surpass his grandfather and Karl, of course, had to surpass his brother even if only by one! – Carole Jean
Juliet
September 22, 2009 at 11:25 pm —
In May of 2001 Karl and his friend from Clemson, Rodger, spent several weeks cutting down and pulling out stumps of hundreds of trees in our yard to make money to ride their motorcycles across the United States and back. What a riot those two were. Rodger seemed so serious and definitely not an adventurer, he had never been west of the Mississippi River and Karl was just the opposite. Karl could inspire anyone to be adventuresome. – Todd and Juliet
Todd Culp
September 22, 2009 at 11:26 pm —
2001: In all the years Karl and I have known each other he and I never had an argument discussing even the most controversial topics. Amazingly enough, our opinions on two topics, government and religion, couldn’t have differed more but yet we were able to have lively discussions that never resulted in anything more than laughs. He and I spent many hours discussing some variation of these topics almost every time we were together, most likely because these were things we were both most passionate about. I can recall several instances working on our garage and him uttering the words “you really think so?” which I believe was his way of saying I don’t agree but I am not going to say I don’t agree. One of Karl’s best traits was his willingness to truly listen to others and realize that an altruistic opinion is not reality. – Todd
Rachels
September 22, 2009 at 11:26 pm —
2004: When Grandma Walker was sick and nearing the end of her life it was Karl who made it possible for us to become her caregivers by taking the night duty. He loved caring for her and would get her up and ready each morning and have breakfast with her before he left for work. She became his first medical care patient. – Rachel
Sarah
September 22, 2009 at 11:28 pm —
2006: Karl and I had very different taste in movies. We saw many of the same films, but would invariably have widely divergent reactions to them. It would always be “Have you seen it?, followed by “What did you think of it?” Never, “Did you like it? As with the rest of life, to Karl, whether you liked it was irrelevant. It was what you thought of it that mattered. – Sarah
Lina
September 22, 2009 at 11:29 pm —
2006: When Karl asked you “How’s it goin’?” or “What up Yo?” He expected an answer. One word replies were not accepted. Every time I came home to the Stockhausen House I knew I could expect a big hug and a genuine inquiry. The standard response of “good” or “fine” wasn’t going to cut it. Karl wanted to know what you did that day, that week. He said to “Error on the side of more information.” He wanted all of us to care about making every moment of our lives full, precious, and vibrant…just like he did. –Lina
Sarah
September 22, 2009 at 11:30 pm —
2007: Superfluous niceties drove Karl crazy, particularly when you’d be on the phone and close with “Say ‘hi’ to so and so for me”. He would go on a tear about how silly it was, how useless. You’re not on the phone with that person. If you really want to talk to them, call them, don’t say “hi” through someone else. It’s meaningless. You’re wasting your time and theirs. He would get the same outraged tone in his voice and intensity in his look as when he talked about the problems in the U.S. health care system. Needless to say, I made sure after that that Stocky always told him “hi” from me when we were on the phone together.
– Sarah
Juliet
September 22, 2009 at 11:31 pm —
In March of 2007 Todd and I took a trip to New York to visit Karl and get to know Rhea. We went to the Hayden Planetarium and spent a while in the American Museum of Natural History. It prompted talk about different cultures and how they were influenced by European explorers and missionaries. Karl and I had a moment alone and I asked how serious it was with Rhea and what drew him to her. Karl said that he loved their conversations about other cultures and religions. Her anthropological perspective of weighing the benefits of helping improve a culture verses the potential negative effect on that culture, those customs and beliefs by just being present and his desire of being a humanitarian and helping people in third world countries lead to many interesting discussions. He joked that he enjoyed razzing Rhea when she started getting too serious about those outsiders and their influences. – Juliet
Clara
September 22, 2009 at 11:32 pm —
2007: I’ve always said I’ve had the best of both worlds being a part of a large family and being an only child (the last one). There’s usually all these siblings around, but yet when I was in high school, I was the only one at home. Karl was my link between those worlds. I wasn’t around when the oldest three played at the mill or grew up. But Karl was there as I grew up and taught me to play chess (more for his benefit than mine I think) and would have me cart his heavy backpack up to the attic. When he went away to college I bombarded him with e-mails asking about college or telling him about my life in high school. His emails always came back with a sense of being busy but he would always reply and would never belittle my words, no matter how close to childish chatter they may have been. And as I grew up he was always there for me to randomly call and ask him what he thought about whatever I was going through and having problems with. Getting any kind of advice from him was hard, but occasionally he would just shrug and say, “Clara, go for it.”
When we were older, there were only a few times that it was just Karl and me hanging out. I was ecstatic when I found out we would both be staying in Kingston-upon-Thames (outside of London) for school at the same time. It was my first time being alone in a foreign city away from everything I knew. When I got there it was amazing, he was living right across from where my school was so we got to hang out a lot at night. Then he and I left for a week traveling to Scotland and Wales together I was so excited for just the two of us to be on the road. It was my first back-packing trip and I still had no idea how to pack or even how to travel. I remember various moments of us traveling. On the train, Karl sitting by the window writing notes in a Paul Farmer book and always looking around him and taking everything in. Wandering around a small town in Scotland during the day and talking to some other kids at a hostel at night – a first for me. His joy when he dove into the east side of the Atlantic Ocean, proud to have swam in both sides – even if his teeth were chattering. When we went to Wales we rented a car and one night we drove along the shore, it was completely dark and we could see the lights of a small town reflected on the water. At night we would pull over in a deserted spot and get comfortable on the seats and sit in silence or talk of various things on our minds.
The second time I really hung out with Karl was the past four months. I came home from college excited to share time with Karl. Since he was really thin and battling cancer, it forced him to be sitting in one spot a lot, mainly at home so he wouldn’t have to deal with oxygen bottles. It was hard to see him confined, but it was also nice, because since he was confined it was like the two of us were just stuck day in and out at home and we were really able to just bond. At night he would go out onto the porch and smoke to get him through to his next round of meds and I would go out there and sit with him. Sometimes we just sat there in silence, taking in the night and thinking on our own thoughts. Other times we would sit and talk about the family, our future, our lives, anything and everything. Then we would come in and work on our laptops, watch movies or talk some more. They weren’t eventful nights, and became very routine over the course of the summer, but the nights of hanging out and even during the day watching movies and talking became a great chance for both of us to just talk and really get to know each other. – Clara
Rhea
September 22, 2009 at 11:33 pm —
Rule #76: No excuses. Play like a champion.
As I struggled to find inspiration for the perfect story that both depicted a moment, but also offered a meaningful reflection of Karl, I looked through countless photos from our past three years. I came upon one of the few pictures of the two of us from our trip to Europe in Summer 07. Seated on the steps of the Sacre-Coeur in Montmarte, listening to street performers singing happy reggae music, overlooking the city of Paris in the early evening light, we both knew it was an experience we would treasure forever. We had so many moments like that. I always wondered if it was just that we were unbelievably lucky to find ourselves in so many incredible situations. After this summer I think I’ve realized it was more that we were blessed to be able to appreciate all that life had to offer. This past summer was filled with so many terribly painful memories, and yet we took advantage and treasured all the time we were able to spend together. The best birthday present Karl ever gave to me was for my birthday this summer. I told him the one thing I absolutely wanted to do was to go climbing. Of course he made it happen. However, not only did he come with me to the gym and belay me, what I treasured so much is that, despite how thin he was, and that he was on oxygen, he pulled off his O2, and climbed a route. It was the first time he had been on a route in months. Climbing meant so much to him, and it meant everything to me to see him still able to do it. When he was finished, he said it was the hardest 5.7 he’d ever sent, but he sent it. He had the most determined spirit I have ever known. – Rhea
Juliet
September 22, 2009 at 11:34 pm —
At the end of 2008 when we decided to switch to the special needs program with our China adoption, Karl was an instrumental part of our decision making process. We received four referrals prior to Violet’s and each time we only had 48 hours to decipher the stack of medical files, social and physical development documentation and analyze the photos. You’ve heard of doctors on call, and boy did he put himself on call for us. Each time the call came in, no matter what he was doing or what state he was in, he dropped everything to quick find someone’s computer to access email. He not only deciphered the medical jargon but helped read between the lines and boiled things down to a nutshell in terms we understood. He was the one that said “You guys this is the one” when we received Violet’s referral. He never agreed when we told him this but we still feel that she is partly a gift from him. Who else could choose someone who so perfectly fits our family? – Todd and Juliet
Rhea
September 22, 2009 at 11:35 pm —
2006-2009: Karl loved New York. He thrived off the city’s energy. He loved people and he loved public transportation, hence the subway was one of his favorite things about the city. He loved that he had the excuse to ‘stare’ and call it people-watching – he was always so curious about people’s stories. NY offered the perfect stimulation for his inquisitive, adventurous spirit. We often took the Q train that crosses over the Manhattan Bridge. It offers a glorious view of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and the financial district of Manhattan. We never tired of the iconic scenery. We enjoyed exploring all that the city had to offer; from playing chess in Washington Square Park, to watching musicals and stand-up on Broadway, to checking out the break dancers at Union Square. But what we appreciated most was the intimate world we carved out for ourselves in an otherwise overwhelming city. We smoked hookah till sunrise with Praveen, Malika and Saraswati on the roof of my apartment. We made countless fascinating friends from the café where I work in Brooklyn. We played with Bird in the park, had poker night with Ara where he cracked us up with his story about having wings, enjoyed roasted ramps and flaxseed smoothies with Meg, Dave, and Pascale, played chess with Mamoru and Aaron, enjoyed pizza and side-splitting laughter with Nikki, watched Rocky Wood perform in Jersey City, played Trivial Pursuit with Tjitske… As in true Karl spirit, we made every moment count and I am grateful for every single one I shared with him. – Rhea
Rhea
September 22, 2009 at 11:35 pm —
Trying to write about Karl has been so difficult for all of us. One would think vignettes would be easy enough to come up with – the stories have been pouring out from all of us these past few days. However I think we all feel pressure to write something that does justice to a man such as Karl. Karl embodied the most remarkable balance of confidence and humility. I keep thinking he would have been so uncomfortable with all the praise, attention, and admiration (we even thought he might be the reason for our technical malfunctions with our lap tops we’ve been having recently). He was even apprehensive when he was called ‘Dr. Stockhausen’ since he hadn’t started his residency yet. As he always played down the things he did and the people he’s touched, in this impossibly difficult week I’ve felt so blessed to relish in celebrating his tragically too-short life. Through all the memories, condolences, love and support from so many, I have appreciated getting to know other sides of him and find that my boundless love and awe for him continues to grow. – Rhea
Holly
September 23, 2009 at 9:34 am —
How do I begin this…Karl was the “cool kid on the block”. I was blessed to have been a part of the Stockhausen household for part of my high school career. Being only 20 days older than Karl, he and I spent a lot of time together, playing the piano, playing computer games, playing street hockey or just plain chatting. Karl was such a focused individual, it often seemed like he didn’t need companions to be contented- thus I felt LUCKY that he invited me into his everyday hobbies as he did. Karl and I chatted over many topics…he was always so well-spoken – opinionated on almost everything…and I loved that about him. That kid never did anything “just because everybody else was doing it”…it took me some years myself to mature enough to the point where I could truly appreciate such an amazing attribute. Karl taught me how to play Wolfenstein 3d- a game we both grew totally addicted to. He taught me how to rollerblade – kinda…I was never any good at it. He was a true bud. I believe people come into our life for a reason. For me, Karl came into my life to inspire me…as I’m sure he has for so many people. I am blessed to have known and loved him during his time here on Earth. – Holly
mary difazio
September 26, 2009 at 8:58 pm —
Just remembering Karl as a young man at Our Lady of Victory School. Such a cute kid and spunky and energetic and always respectful . I always knew he was special…
Gus
October 2, 2009 at 2:22 pm —
My story is not a story about an epic adventure or even a simple conversation with Karl. I can truly and honestly admit that I cannot think of a memory or shared moment between just Karl and I. Our time together always involve shared time with someone or something so captivating it required your full attention. This is one of the great respects I will always have for him, because every memory I have of Karl involves someone else. No matter what we did, Karl always presented some newness of Realization for me. Whether he knew it or not, he naturally always offered something new or made me reflect on something forgotten, but it was the attention to all the things we do in our daily routine without awareness…This is where my memories of Karl reside.
I’ve set a few routes in my day for both climbing gyms, but I never realized how important a 5.7 (I did not set this one for the record) could be until the day of Rhea’s birthday. The way he waddled (aka Stockhausen walk) down the declining floor with his oxygen tank in hand, to the back of the gym where the orange tape of the climb started. The happiness in his eyes exceeded any emotion / pain as he sat down and mindfully laced up his shoes and tied in. Despite anything else that may have happened that day or the weeks and months before, Karl was completely ecstatic to be in the moment of lacing up his climbing shoes. As the smile on Rhea’s face grew, Karl look up to the top of the climb, looked at his knot and said ‘you ready?” With the same focus as lacing up his shoes he started climbing and possessed a ballet like grace from hold to hold that can only be performed by someone focused in the moment. Completely out of breath and exhausted from reaching the top, he consciously unlaced his shoes and knot from his harness, smiled from ear to ear, gazed the climb up and down, and laughed at the fact the he struggled on a 5.7 before he even thought about putting the oxygen hose back in his nose.
At that moment, I came to the Realization that climbing for me is an act of meditation. A remembrance of a quest – to make every climb a creation in which the process is what I want to remember, not the end result. For in the end, that feeling of completion, disappointment, or success is only a transient emotion, one which will disappear in the shadows of the awareness of all that is around.
I may have temporarily lost a friend, but best of all…I have truly gained a family through Karl. Katie and I look forward to the next time we get the chance to sit around the Stockhausen table, a remote campfire, or share a climbing rope with all the people we love.
P.S. I think I need a refresher course on my fire by friction.
Joel
October 12, 2009 at 3:13 pm —
My family lived in Northville from 1979-1987 & by a stroke of good luck ended up on the Stockhausen’s block. I have many memories of a little Karl trying to keep up & play with Stocky & I, riding bikes,playing in a tree fort, or sledding in the winter.. One day Juliet came knocking at the door and said she was babysitting when a cast iron pan suddenly fell from the kitchen wall and hit Karl in the head & there was a lot of blood.. Karl had a bad cut on his head but didn’t cry. I remember thinking -wow he is tough, I guess he was used to getting hurt by then.. Though i do remember hearing him cry many times because of how loud his little voice was, it carried over to my house and bounced off the church.. One year after my family’s volvo got wreaked from a car crash, Karl at 4-5 yrs. old came walking up and when he saw the wreaked car he looked at me and my dad standing on our front porch then back at the car then back to us and said “totaled”. We laughed because this was a cool saying in the mid 80’s.. It was very cute. The year before leaving Northville I remember playing with Karl when Stocky was gone.. Now days I reflect back with fond memories of those times, I truly thank God for Karl & the rest of the Stockhausen gang. PeaceLove&Guitars-Joel
Valerie
November 5, 2009 at 9:33 pm —
Karl’s memorial service was perhaps the most moving service I have ever attended. While I never had a chance to meet him, I felt that I learned so much about him, his passions, and his dreams. The most touching thing, though, was seeing that he had in fact left the world a better place than before he was in it.
I know that at times, accepting people’s different cultures and backgrounds can be difficult. But watching Rhea interact with your family gave me the sense that all involved were able to see past each others’ differences, and focus instead on each others’ similarities.
If more people in this world could do this, I believe the world would be a much better place. And I can see that Karl strove toward this ideal in his short yet meaningful life.
May God bless Karl and all his loved ones, and may you find strength in knowing that Karl’s life touched people like me, who never even met him.
Most Sincerely,
Valerie
Julien
September 13, 2010 at 6:43 pm —
I remember you…
Your love of life,
Your Smile
You Energy…
Our climbing adventures…
You touched my life
You inspired me to inspire
I remember
And will never forget…
mary difazio
September 26, 2009 at 9:04 pm —
This website is such a nice tribute to Karl. Love all the stories and the writings of Karl. It is inspiring. Its like Karl planted the seed to find a better system for healthcare and now we need to take it from there….
Debbie Krause, CMA
September 27, 2009 at 4:18 pm —
The idea of putting up a website for Karl is amazing. I remember Karl when he was just a little kid at halloween at the fire station goofing off with my daughter Nicki. I still see that smile on him that could melt anyone’s heart. I wish I could say something comforting or something to stop the pain, but all I can say is “It was a privilege to know Karl, I am so sorry for your loss but in time God will reveal the reason and it will be incredible.” I know he inspired many people to take the time to rethink what the true meaning of a doctor is. He knew it- it is taking care of the whole patient-mind, body, heart and soul. And he must have learned that at home. May God keep your family safe and comfort you in hard times and help you remember the good, the funny, and the inspiring times. I know he touched all who knew him or even talked to him. God Bless
Deb
Roberta
September 28, 2009 at 4:11 pm —
Bill, Carole Jean , the whole family,
I remember several years back, Mark and Karl and a few other friends decided to make a vegan spaghetti dinner at our house. I know it was the first, maybe the only time I’ve had carrots in my spaghetti. Oh boy, would I like to repeat that evening. I am proud to have watched them grow together. I don’t know the right words.. but know that Karl will always be in my heart. I am blessed that Karl was in my and my son’s life. You are in my thoughts and prayers,
Love Roberta
heather (wehab) mauch
October 5, 2009 at 1:35 pm —
though i hadn’t seen karl in many years, i still have very fond and clear memories of growing up with him for eight years at our Lady of Victory school. i remember doing a play with karl and some other friends in the sixth grade; practicing at the stockhausen’s home a couple times a week, playing football in the fall out in their yard, and being so young and carefree. i remember karl working at the bike store in downtown Northville; going in from time to time to visit with him. he was always a positive person–someone you were lucky to be around. i only regret that i didn’t stay in contact with karl recently; it seems we had many of the same interests…
you do not think of things like this happening to anyone so young, with so much to live for, someone you spent so much time with. i am so happy that karl had the opportunities that he had and lived the life he wanted, though it was cut so tragically short. i am so proud of him and i am grateful for the time God gave me to be his friend. I know he touched so many lives, mine included. my deepest sympathies to rhea and the stockhausen family. there are no words. God bless.
regards, heather (wehab) mauch
The Bott Family
October 11, 2009 at 11:41 pm —
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Stockhausen, Juliet, Rachel, Luke and Clara,
We are so sorry to hear about Karl’s passing. We all remember him as a little kid just full of energy and smiles. What a big smile he had. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Karl will be remembered fondly.
The Bott Family
Valerie
November 7, 2009 at 9:10 am —
Karl’s memorial service was perhaps the most moving service I have ever attended. While I never had a chance to meet him, I felt that I learned so much about him, his passions, and his dreams. The most touching thing, though, was seeing that he had in fact left the world a better place than before he was in it.
I know that at times, accepting people’s different cultures and backgrounds can be difficult. But watching Rhea interact with your family gave me the sense that all involved were able to see past each others’ differences, and focus instead on each others’ similarities.
If more people in this world could do this, I believe the world would be a much better place. And I can see that Karl strove toward this ideal in his short yet meaningful life.
May God bless Karl and all his loved ones, and may you find strength in knowing that Karl’s life touched people like me, who never even met him.
Most Sincerely,
Valerie
Andrew Phelps
March 13, 2010 at 2:04 pm —
My sincerest condolences to my friends from long ago, the Stockhausen family.
Having not been in touch with any of my old Northville neighbors for probably 20 years, this was not the information I was hoping to find when “googling” the Stockhausens. Although my time in Northville, just a few houses down from this amazing family, was brief, my brothers Adam and Bobby and sister Mary and I still reminisce about playing kick the can (does anyone still play that anymore?) with Juliet, Luke, Rachel, and of course the spark plug that was Karl. The Stockhausen home/museum was a second home, of sorts, and I cherish the time I was able to spend with these wonderful people, building a tree fort in the pine trees in their back yard, visiting their mill, and discovering all the hiding spaces in their one-of-a-kind home.
Knowing Karl when he was 4, 5 and 6 years old, I could not have imagined where his life would take him and the positive impact he would have on all who knew him. The outpouring of love, fond memories, and personal anecdotes recalling his ability to display a contagious compassion towards his fellow man and the world he lived in, is not only Karl’s legacy, but a tribute to the amazing family that raised him from that six-year-old I remember into a model citizen of our global community.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
With sympathy and fond memories,
Andrew Phelps

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