Yannick Linke Commemorated at Berlin Service September 8th

All photos c 2010 Russell Gasser russellgasser@mac.com

Family, friends, and classmates of Yannick Linke, the German visitor to San Francisco who was killed while riding his bicycle on Masonic Avenue, remembered the young man in a Berlin memorial service filled with celebrations of his life and sorrow for his passing.

A friend of Linke's forwarded these photos to post for the many San Franciscans touched by this tragic loss. An account of the September 8 memorial follows with additional photos here.

An autumn morning in Berlin, Germany, at the circular church in
Tempelhof district. Nearly 200 of us came together to commemorate
Yannick Linke - family, friends, former classmates and even a small
group of friends who had travelled from the USA to be there. His
life was remembered and celebrated, some of his favourite songs were
sung, and the untimely loss of this young man was deeply grieved.
Afterwards the Big Band from the nearby high School played - the Big
Band that, only recently, he had played in. Memories and suffering
and loss were shared, and comfort given. Then we walked together
through the streets of Berlin to the burial ground, about 2½ km (1½
miles) away. After a brief silence in the chapel, the procession
wound through the graveyard to the sounds of another of Yannick's
favourites "When the saints go marching in." Then last respects were
paid as his ashes, in a small wooden casket made by his father and
sister, were interred and flowers laid.

San Franciscans held a vigil on Masonic Avenue for Yannick Linke on August 25. Next week Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi will remember Linke's life and honor his passing at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Vallie Brown, Mirkarimi's assistant, said the City and County of San Francisco will then send a condolence letter to the Linke family.