My heart goes out to all of Dragos’ family and friends as we grieve the loss of an extraordinary person. To have been in Dragos’ presence was to understand that there is no substitute for a truly curious mind. Whether through his storytelling, the vastness of his intellect, or his uncompromising insistence on a life surrounded by beauty, Dragos enriched the lives of everyone around him and asked for nothing in return. Anyone who had the privilege of dancing with Dragos also knows that his heart was as big as his brain, and his embrace—divine.

Dragos, forgive me for not taking as much care with my words as you deserved when we last met. You will be profoundly missed.

Dragos, the inner traveller…

Dragos was emotion, raw, and refined; it defined how he acted, and who he was. The thing about him though was that he expressed only his positive emotions, and of all of them love was the most powerful and impactful. He painted with love, he designed with love, the lines he drew, the words he wrote, were permeated by love. He spoke with tenderness and a profound sense of respect for the other. He recognized the other in himself, and he loved them with all that he could. He could be your father confessor, your partner in “crime” (no real crimes were committed), your dance chaperone or wingman, your confidant, and all throughout it there was the same gentleness, misty tender gaze that followed you wherever you were. Dragos was not a man, he was an angel that had decided that this human experience was worth living for some reason. He never caused any harm, and if there were disagreements, the door was always open for reconciliation.

To me, Dragos was more than a friend, he was the epitome of what friendship means; deep acceptance, support and…love ! And his love transcended the adelphic love and merged into agapic love; a longing to unite with the divine, universal pure love of being. Deeply spiritual, life was a prayer that never stopped being uttered.

Countless times we’d disagree on all sorts of nonsense, but he never rebuked or chastized, and in the end you felt like you were looking into the eyes of a master, someone who had pierced the mystery of form, embodied the resonance of harmony, and only whispered what was most essential.

The journey of this life was not an easy, but he never complained. He did not want to burden others with his sorrow. He chose to transform that sorrow, into a jumping board from which he would launch himself deeper into the heart of God. His unbounded reverence for the exquisite beauty of life, and the mystery behind it, marked his every day.

His passion was unbounded. Everything he did was marked by an intense attention to detail, and moved by a deep desire to have insight into everything he did. A line on a paper was not just a line, but a road into realization; a word that was part of a poem, or a dissertation, was not just a word but a key that could unlock some unseen truth; his song, soft and gentle was not just a song, but a longing, for a deeper connection with the heart…

Although we began our dancing journey with Salsa, he inadvertently was drawn to Tango and Milonga; he traded the happy-go-lucky, hoppety-hop, gyration for a sway, a glide, a murmur of a heart embraced by desire…Dragos had a deep desire, for everything that life had to offer, and an incredible thirst for learning…except for computers…. I remember his first and last programming class in university, where I was doing his coding, and he was chasing the Bug character on the screen with his finger…He passed, God only knows how !

Dragos was universal. Even though he came into this world on the Romanian plane, laden with lore, magic, wisdom and mystery (but no vampires), he embraced all cultures. He loved humanity in its entirety, and enjoyed the beauty of all cultures.The richness of the human sphere fascinated him and he connected with all hearts in the same way. His friendships span the globe, testament to his unequaled appreciation of all things human and divine.

He chose architecture because he sought to find the meaning of space; to make art live in nature, complement nature. He wanted the human experience to be unified, that art should speak love, and love should engender light; and in a perfect circle, light would bestow upon art the blessings of a benevolent universe. He loved being an architect, well, minus the construction part, he left that part to Mike…and the project management to Iancu.

On his journey of exploration on this earthly realm, Dragos left deep footprints, in many hearts and souls. I can easily say I wouldn’t be who I am without him ! His presence, thinking, and attitude permeate many things that I do, and it guides the way I see things. He was a spiritual brother, a companion on an oft dreary and repetitive road, and yet in spite of that he always saw some type of color of light along the way, to always keep things interesting, and imbue all things with the spark of the miraculous. He made living a story ! …And now that he is no longer material, I sit and wonder if we dreamt this life, or we lived a dream together…..

Eternal love,

Your friend forever

Bruno

I cannot believe I am saying goodbye. I am so thankful for our friendship, you are one of the kind person. You enlightened the world with your warm heart and your wisdom. I cherish all our moments together, the talks, the dances, the art, the architecture, the cherry blossoms, the skating, the walks. Toronto will not be the same without you. The world will not be the same without you.

Ich vermisse dich schon.

Bee (Melina)