In Memoriam
Edward Vincent Byrne died on March 24, 2015. He was diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma in June 2014. Despite an aggressive treatment program that declared him 100% in remission by December 2014, his recovery was short-lived. He was able to attend his only child’s wedding, Sarah Lillian, on February 28, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following week, however, he was hospitalized. Less than a month later, he died.
During his time in Mérida, Ed was a strong and vital presence. He loved this city and its people and he bravely defended the integrity of the Mexican people from rogue elements. If one looks through his website, http://www.mexicogulfreporter.com/, one is struck by his fierce political and social principles. He was not afraid to call it as he saw it—especially when he saw things that were morally wrong. Ed, for example, reported extensively on gay American men living in Mérida who who sexually molested Mexican youngsters.
As the editor of this guide, I reached out to Ed and we had coffee. He was delightful and charming, a gentleman in ways not often seen nowadays.
This edition of The Essential Guide to Living in Mérida is dedicated to him. It is our hope that his daughter, Lillian, and her husband, Marc, know full well how much Ed was loved and how much he is missed. Mérida was a better city when he was a resident here, and Mérida remembers—and misses—our Mexico Gulf Reporter, Ed V. Byrne.
Fare thee well, our friend.
—Eduvijes Montejo
