Brian Redman

We’re going to make a number of jokes in the Best of Tacoma 2010’s In Memoriam section, but Tacoma has been dealt some seriously crushing blows over the last 12 months, blows that still sting every day and weigh heavy in the air — perhaps none of which reverberated harder and with more pangs of pain within Tacoma’s music and arts scene than the untimely death of Brian Redman. A friend. A bartender. A bassist. And a big chunk of Tacoma’s soul, wrapped in a bandana with a crazy gleam in his eye. When Brian Redman crashed his Vespa it felt like all of Tacoma wept. As one of his many friends, Roxanne Murphy, wrote in the Volcano at the time, “Brian Redman was a brother from another world, the King of Tacoma and we’re going to miss him for the rest of our lives as he survives in our hearts and minds.” Rest in peace, Brian Redman. — Weekly Volcano

Gayl Bertagni

While preparing a Facebook guest list for our Best of Tacoma Premiere Party at Masa, I came across Gayl Bertagni’s Facebook page. I swelled up in tears. Gayl, co-owner of The Swiss in downtown Tacoma, was tragically killed last year while trying to stop her truck from rolling during the staff’s annual party near Packwood. I was there when she, Bob Hill and Jack McQuade opened The Swiss in 1993. But it was during the trio’s short-lived Hotel Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue earlier this decade when I really got to know Gayl, her strong work ethic in the kitchen and her motherly nature toward her friends and Swiss “family.” Gayl was a fearsomely proud Tacoman who gave the area a taste of her talents. Every time I glance at the large photograph of her on The Swiss’ stage I laugh, remembering how she use to say my shirts were “interesting.” I miss you Gayl. — Ron Swarner

Il Trattoria di Merende

It’s been a rough year for the food business. The economy’s still in the tank, and yet more and more restaurants, especially coffee joints, are opening, creating more and more seats for diners willing to spend less and less. If I were a pessimist, I’d call it an inescapable spiral. The biggest shock in the local restaurant scene was the closing of Il Trattoria di Merende, one of my favorite restaurants in Tacoma, with one of South Sound’s best chefs, Jeff Bishop. A professional, friendly staff served truly gratifying food. Some said the atmosphere was too stiff, that it didn’t feel comfortable. I guess, maybe, but the gourmet small plates, well-mixed cocktails and smiling staff kept me coming back. A shame. R.I.P. Ian Lombardi. We miss you. — RS