Greg Mestler died early Friday morning after a long illness that gradually robbed him of his strength and energy, but never of his quirky sense of humor, desire to help others, learn more, and desire to be involved with the friends and family he so dearly loved.  Greg was an active member from the very beginning of BPS, back in 1984, and was always in the middle of any activity.  He served as President and Vice-President for numerous years, leading field trips, teaching members the proper way to collect and preserve fossils, serving as Editor of the Origins Newsletter, taking time to help the kids on field trips find cool fossils, and doing everything in his power to make BPS the very best fossil group in the country.  Greg was a gregarious, happy-go-lucky type of person who never met a stranger, tended to be the center of attention in whatever endeavor he engaged in, was frequently irreverent, and always looking for fun or a way to help someone.

Greg had a number of wishes; one of them was for his friends to have a wake and celebrate his life by telling stories of adventures, camping trips, and fun times we shared together.   He wants us to keep his memory alive, by telling people about him, who he was as a person, especially his only grandchild, Mitchell.  The family is asking that each person write something special they remember about Greg, so that a book celebrating his life can be compiled.

The party for Greg will be Tuesday October 13th from 5:30pm until 7pm.  Contact the BPS Secretary if you need directions.  A brief graveside service will be held at Elmwood Cemetery Wednesday October 14th at 10am.

Greg Mestler's obituary is on al.com.