It is with a heavy heart that I pass along the news of the passing of Bridgett Schneider, who, among other accomplishments, started RAOGK in 1999. She went home yesterday 11/12/11 after a not so short illness.

Bridgett started small, with a big idea: genealogists around the world helping each other for free.  Today over 4000 volunteers, all over the world, assist other researchers in obtaining information and documention that they cannot travel to get for themselves, and the only charge was a reiumbursement to the volunteer for things copy copying fees, postage, photo developing, and in the last couple of years mileage.  I know I am not the only person that has made life long friends around the world, people important to me that I would have never met if it had not been for Bridgett, and her husband Doc, who spent countless hours providing the IT expertise it took to maintain what RAOGK has grown into. 

I was a volunteer for the state of Georgia before Bridgett showed her trust and confidence in me by adding me to the RAOGK staff, so that I might assist other volunteers and facilitate in problem solving.  Many untold hours were spent chatting with Bridgett about anything from site issues to my personal life, she was even kind enough to link Ancestral Space from RAOGK because she believed in my idea so much..she was the epitome of the world Mentor and I will forever be honored that I could call her friend.  Her dedication was 2nd to none, and the genealogy world has been left with a huge hole that will not soon be filled.

RAOGK has been suffering from technical difficulties the last couple of months, but Doc promised her that would be back up and running soon, so it will continue in her honor.

Bridgett's obituary can be found here:

journalstar.com/lifestyles/announcements...

A memorial has been set up on Find a Grave here: 

www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=g...

RIP my friend, I will most certainly miss you and your wonderful wit and your patience with me.

On this date in 1922 Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske patented  a microfilm reading device, thus insuring that future genealogists would gather in places with bad lighting and pour over badly preserved copies of documents in the great hunt for elusive ancestors :)