Gerrit Chi Yung Luk Orthlieb

Born in San Jose on August 30, 1997, he grew into one of the most inventive and generous minds his family and friends had ever known. He earned his Master's in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University and began his career at Stanford, where he worked on deep-brain-stimulation research for patients with movement disorders. It was there that the truest thing about him showed most clearly: he loved to sit with the patients and listen to their stories, and they came to ask for him by name. He once wrote that motivation never came from duty but from love for other people, and that was the engine behind everything he did.

His mind never rested. He filled notebooks and documents with hundreds of inventions, business ideas, games, whole fictional worlds and magic systems, philosophy, and science he pursued purely for the joy of it. He wrote: "I think I'm in love with pure science." He was also a wonderful teacher, with a gift for breaking down complex games into pieces so that others could learn them and enjoy them alongside him. He loved to cook, discovering new dishes and working with his mom on their latest recipe. Funny, curious to the point of wonder, and endlessly devoted to the people he loved, he looked after his grandparents with tenderness, and treasured quiet moments with his dog, Callie. Near the end of a long document holding everything his mind had ever produced, he left a line for his family: "My heart is full of you — not because my heart is small, but because I treasure all of us." He is survived by his parents, Carl and Susan, and his sister, Marlena.

Gerrit died after a long and courageous struggle with mental health and addiction, a struggle he faced with more honesty and effort than most people ever see. His family shares this openly in the hope that others who are hurting will know they are not alone, and will reach out. If you are struggling, you can call or text 988 - the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. and Canada - any time, day or night.