Benjamin Michael Schoedel, 30, of Spencerport, N.Y., died  November 11 at the Albany Medical Center after battling a long illness. He was known to many as "Taishi" and "Tingle." He was born August 14, 1986, in Binghamton, N.Y., and was a longtime resident of the area before moving to Rochester.

He is survived by his wife, Maryellen (Sloan) Schoedel, originally from Newtown, and their cats. He also leaves his mother and stepfather, Anne and David Lott, of Binghamton; his brother and best friend, Robert Lott; many treasured family members, including his grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins, and stepsiblings, Leanne Morrell, Jason Lott, and Rayelene Lott; and many, many excellent friends. His father, Michael Schoedel, predeceased him.

Mr Schoedel never did anything small. He studied computer technology at Broome Community College in Binghamton, and even went on to get his A+ certification. He used such knowledge to found the anime organization C.R.A.Z.Y.O.T.A.K.U., which he and his wife ran with their close friends facilitating events at AnimeNEXT and CPAC; striving to bring people together through anime, manga, and all things nerdy.

Stepping from the realm of fan to ambassador, Mr Schoedel achieved any fan's dream when he befriended Amalloc, the creator of one of his favorite short animation works, "There She Is!" and was welcomed as part of the promotion and sales team for the United States, Canada, and Australia regions. One thing he looked forward to every year was the Live Adventure, a small and close-knit community devoted to role play and theater, where he was well-loved and very active.

His loved ones say, "It is to our great sorrow that we lost Ben before he could share the full brilliance of the game he had wanted to bring to this year's Adventure."

Mr Schoedel had many interests, and in addition to the ones listed above, he also enjoyed taking 10-mile hikes with his brother at the local state park; swimming, hiking, campfires, jet skiing, and boating in his beloved Thousand Islands; and online DJing, where he shared his profound love of music with so many others.

A memorial service will be conducted at 9:30 am, Wednesday, November 23, at St Cyril & Methodius Church, 148 Clinton Street, Binghamton. Refreshments in the church hall will follow the service.

Donations in Mr Schoedel's memory may be made to the Live Adventure Game, Inc, at liveadventure.weebly.com/in-memoriam, to honor his creative spirit.

Since organ donation was so important to him, and he was unable to do this due to his illness, consider becoming an organ donor or donating blood.

To share a memory of Mr Schoedel or send a condolence to the family, visit crawfordfuneralhome.com.