Twenty months ago in March 2006 The Stogie Review was launched. I thought maybe a handful of folks that I knew would read the reviews but never in my wildest imagination did I ever imagine that it would turn into a community filled with so many caring people.
You guys have been through a lot with me and I’ve been happy to share my life with all of you. I’m a true believer that life is worth sharing, so I always tried to share as much as I could. I’ve entertained so many questions over the past twenty months about how to have a successful blog and it’s really no secret. Be Honest…Be Open…Be Yourself. I know that sounds cliché but it works and if you start with Be Honest, the other two will take care of themselves.
Part of being honest is telling you that I have decided to walk away from The Stogie Review. With the death of my son it’s a struggle for me to find joy in the things that I use to. I know everyday life must go on but “everyday life” is nothing like it was before. As much as I try to hold onto the things that brought me joy, the more I realize that that kind of joy doesn’t exist anymore. In all honesty I don’t remember what life was like before JJ. So, how do I recapture a part of my life that I can’t remember? In truth…in honesty…I can’t. My life is missing something…something I lost despite holding it tightly, something I miss oh so much. As a friend told me, “life can be so kind, yet so brutal.”
I leave The Stogie Review in the best of hands. I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t think Walt and the Two Brian’s were up to the task to continue what all of us have contributed to. I’ve often said that this site is more your’s than it is our’s and I know Walt and The Two Brian’s will continue that tradition and I know they can count on all of you.
Many of you have been worried about me and Michelle. All of your thoughtful and caring messages, cards and flowers have helped us so much. I want you all to know that we will be okay. We still have a good life filled with love for each other, love from our families, support from friends and our unbreakable faith. I’m sure in time, Michelle and I will be blessed with another child, but none will ever be my “little robusto” who taught me the true meaning of unconditional love.
I’d like to thank everyone individually but there isn’t enough space on this blog nor do I know all the words to say…not to mention that’s a whole lot of typing. But thank you…The Stogie Review will always hold a place with me of happier times. I will try and drop by as often as I can and you guys can always reach me at jcruz1027 at gmail.com
Thank you and until next time, long ashes…
Good luck to you Jerry. I can only imagine what life is like for you these days. I wish you the best and you know how to reach me. Long ashes brother..
Good luck and God bless Jerry.
May the Good Lord always be with you and Michelle… Thank you for everything that you’ve done for us and God Speed, Jerry. You’re still and always be my Visayan neighbor…
Take care Jerry, we will miss you. I’m glad that your confident though that you will be okay. It’s also great to hear about your unbreakable faith. Just hang in there…things will become better, and God probably put you through this experience for a reason you or I cannot comprehend.
As Kirk said…good luck and God bless!
Dear Jerry, I am sorry to see you go but totally understand. I always enjoyed your reviews and your easy going way and sense of humor. You will be greatly missed by everyone here. I hope life will treat you better in the future and hope that someday you will find the peace that you deserve. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Clint.
I’m pretty new compared to the other viewers/members but from day one, I’ve always found interest in seeing your “torpedo head” in a stogie review. In fact, every friend of mine whom I’ve told this site about have loved your reviews. It is sad to see you go as we only have the old videos of you to watch, but hey, we all “try” to understand – since we really have no idea how you, as a father, could feel.
Take care and when I light a RP, your reviews will definitely come to mind…
Pete
Good luck Jerry, i hope everything thing goes well. Im sure its hard, and its sad to know it happened to a good person like yourself. I have a JJ series in my humidor right now, and im going to save it in memory of him. I have always loved your reviews, and thought you did a wonderful good with them. I always tried your recommendations, and none of them let me down. I hope everything gets better, and good luck to you and your family.
Hate to see you go. But I respect your decision to shift your focus to family now. I hope one day to see you back on the site. You certainly added a lot here.
On that note, let’s not forget to give props to Walt (the hardest working man at stogiereview), and the Brians. Jerry is leaving the place in good hands.
Even though it won’t be quite the same without your input, I can respect your choice and I’m certain Walt and the Brians will maintain the quality of show that we’re all use to.
I feel that I should add that I found your site during the decidely brief period in which I smoked cigars late last year – I now focus my attention on pipe tobacco – and so, whilst I no longer smoke cigars you guys have managed to keep me coming back week after week. That, I find, mighty impressive.
I’m sure we’ll all miss the ‘touch’ that you added to the site but you must do what you think right.
Take care Jerry.
Jerry,
Good luck with everything in the future. May god bless you and your family through thick and thin. I will always remember not only your reviews but also your bright personality. thank you for every second you have taken out of your life to contribute to this site.
Jerry,
It was a pleasure meeting you in person and your passion for becoming a father was quite clear to Mike and I. It’s hard to see you go but I understand your decision. I hope we can still keep in touch.
Jerry,
I remember fondly meeting up with you at JR’s about 2 weeks after JJ was born. You were so excited and full of fatherly pride. Being a father, I knew just how you felt. After reading the tragic news a few weeks ago, I knew that you had to be hurting the worst hurt a father could feel. However, I knew you had a supportive family that would help you and Michelle through this.
I’ve certainly missed your presence around here, but fully understand your decision to move on. May God be with you and Michelle; may His face shine upon you and give you peace.
Long ashes, my friend, long ashes…
Jerry,
I can’t say that I’m suprised by your decision to leave, although I am saddened to see you go. Although l’ve never met you in person, your personality came through the camera every time you did a review. I’ll always remember the bottle cap on your head and the cussing when you screwed up a line. You will surely be missed by everyone here and I wish you and Michelle the very best. Hopefully the saying that time heals all wounds holds true and the fans of the Stogie Review will be honored by your presence in the future.
Take care BOTL Jerry.
Matt G.
You will be greatly missed. Good luck and God bless you.
I do not make many comments on stogiereview, but I watch every single video and you have really helped me appreciate cigars. I started watching with 6 cigars in a crappy wood humidor and now I have a coolidor with over 200!!!(WIFE DOESNT KNOW THAT…Tee Hee) You will be missed, No one could make a cigar review as entertaining as you could. Even if you werent reviewing a cigar I would have watched them! Life throws you continuous curve balls and all you can do is keep trying to hit em. Good luck and god bless!
Jerry you are da man! I mean that. Thank you for making my cigar smoking experience so enjoyable with instant classic like catching your house on fire and vomitting on that Equus and my favorite…”let me go find my pants.” You are truly one of a kind and will be missed by many.
Like many who met you in person have said, you are one down to earth guy with one hell of a head on your shoulders. If anyone can get thru this dark period it is you.
Please take care of yourself and I hope you find the peace and joy that you are missing brother.
I hope that you will find peace and return.
Live strong, brother. We’ll miss you.
Tom
Dear Jerry,
Over the past weeks, I have been brought to tears several times when reading your posts (this one included). I can’t even begin to imagine what you and Michelle have gone through but I pray that you two will find some sense of normalcy over time and I look forward to the day I see you here again.
God speed in your recovery and my heart goes out to you bro.
Sincerely,
Mark
Peace to you and yours Jerry. You and your family have been in our thoughts and prayers way over here on the West Coast. When you are ready I hope you come back.
Mabuhay,
Ed Ramolete
Jerry:
You can take all the time you want to heal the pain of your lost. We are in good hands.
Good look pal
Luis Nivar
Sto Dgo., Dom. Rep.
Jerry,
Your reviews and presence on the site will be missed. You and Michelle will be in my prayers. God Bless.
-Andrew
All good things must come to an end…I will miss your reviews and your friendly appeal. The circumstances are horrible, and I believe everyone in your community that you have built will understand, and carry on in honor of you, Jerry. Look towards the future, and hold your heads up! You will be missed, but not soon forgotten…Take care Jerry and Michelle…
The world can sure break your heart. You’ve gone from the highest high to the lowest low. I admire your strength and I hope after some time I see you back here with your many friends.
I’m gonna miss your sense of humor around here, Jerry.
But its been a good time, I’ve been around hear for awhile,
watching you guys grow, and even tho I never meet you
I felt like I knew you, and the rest of the SR guys.
and its been fun, I learned a lot from you and the rest of the
guys, and I wanna thank you, jerry for taking the time for giving
us review, are sharing you thoughts. take care, hope to see
you in the future.
– Louis
I certainly hope that you and your wife find some peace in all of the clutter of life. Your brilliance in review will be missed.
Long ashes…….and many thanks.
Josh
I’m sorry to hear you leave Jerry. I’m sure the site won’t be the same without you. And I should take this time now to apologize about my absence since the start of college life. I’ve just been swamped with work, fraternity events, women, and nonstop action. I hope to try to get to slowly get back into hanging out on the site more often and helping out again. It has been a while, I know, but I’m sure you haven’t forgotten about me, have you?
Jerry — I wish you the best of luck in your future pursuits and please be sure to send me the occasional e-mail regarding how life is going for you. I look forward to hearing from you. And again, I apologize being rather unresponsive lately.
Peace bro.
Alex
I’m certainly going to miss your humor and reviews, but I can understand your need to leave. I hope, that at some point, you will come back. May you and your wife heal in the comfort of each other, your family and friends. Long ashes…
Jerry you are going to be missed. I wish you and your family all the best. Please try to drop by sometime. Thanks for everything.
God Bless You
Jerry,
I was afraid that was going to happen. Your loss made me think of how much it would hurt to lose my own daughter and how trivial other things would seem after that. Your upbeat attitude encouraged me to start my own podcast and as it turns out, after I started the cigar alliance, you were one of my biggest supporters even though we have never met. So, I want to tell you that I understand what you are doing. Again I am sorry for your loss. I hope that time can help ease your pain. Thank you for the work you put in building the cigar community and making it a fun hobby for me as well as the other viewers. Thank you for being a friend.
Chris
Life as you stated must go on and you will always have memories good and bad. I hope you and your family get through this trying time in your life and I understand your reason behind you leaving. God blessed you and Michelle with your little Robusto and will bless you with many more things in life. God Bless the both of you and we will defiantly miss you here.
Take Care
Paul
While I fully understand and respect your decision, I sure hope in time you’ll return. The cigar community is much better off for your having been here. God bless.
Dale
Jerry,
You will sorely be missed. I can’t understand your pain but I can see how crushed I would be. My little girl was born the same time as JJ. I was actually reading your post on JJ at the same time my was in labor on my Blackberry.
When it was posted that JJ had passed my heart dropped to my stomach. I was so upset. My wife couldn’t understand it. Even though we have never met, I felt like I knew you both your joy, worries, and love of a good cigar. My little girl means everything to me. You are a stronger person than I am, I don’t think I could continue on if anything ever happened to her.
God Bless Jerry. I hope only for the best for you. Perhaps someday we’ll meet.
James
I wish you guys the best of luck Jerry. Your family will stay in our prayers. God Bless,
Vince
From all of us at StogieGuys.com, I am so very sad to see you go. We’ve really enjoyed your reviews, Jerry, and we can’t express in words how sorry we are for your loss.
I know this sounds cliché, but there are better days on the horizon. Until then, we’ll keep you in our thoughts and prayers…
Jerry I’m at a loss, I can’t possibly imagine all you’ve had to deal with over the last few months. Whatever it takes for you and your family to stay strong then do it, you’ll always have your friends there to support you. It was great meeting you in person on that summer day in Toronto, and I’ll remember the laughs we shared. I hope the future can bring you happiness as I know you’ll always bring happiness to those around you just by being yourself. You’re in our thoughts and prayers, stay strong.
Jerry It was your enthusastic review of the Partagas Blacks that made me run out and purchase a box. Thank you for that and all of the hard work you put into this site. May God bless you!
its sad to hear you have left us jerry, i will miss your wonderful reviews, your enthusiasm will be greatly missed, especially on reviews such as the one where you were reviewing the partagas black classico, by looking at you as you reviewed that, i could almost taste that cigar, you explained it and handled it so well.
I hope you a brighter future, as life is one big obsticle course.
Good luck jerry, you will be greatly missed by us all.