Destiny's community came together this week in tribute to a well liked and highly accomplished player, and to give condolences to his clan after he passed away last week.
The video above comprises numerous salutes by Destiny players, many of whom didn't know Joshua R. Stokell, who died June 8 after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis. His clan, the Dads of Destiny, put out a call over Destiny's subreddit for video clips of salutes and other tributes, editing them together in the memorial above.
Stokell, 36, of Charlotte, N.C., was known as TheSquashPhD (his player screen opens the memorial.) The PhD in his handle came from his real life degree in biology, which he earned in 2013. He had studied cystic fibrosis at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his work had been published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. Stokell had continued post-doctoral research on cystic fibrosis, particularly the treatment of lung infections, through a fellowship with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder affecting mainly the lungs but also other organs, such as the pancreas. It affects about one of every 3,000 newborns and has no cure.
Many of the clips in the memorial feature players bowing and saluting, with others forming a rifle party for a three-volley salute. The thread the Dads started for Stokell drew more than 250 responses. "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!" they wrote. "We are proud to honor our friend."