Remembering Tank Heathcliff Hafertepen February 13th, 1990 — October 15th, 2018

About

This is a digital memorial for Tank Hafertepen by his partner, Dylan Hafertepen. Content is a mix of our original photography and writing, primarily from the period we were together (2010 — 2018).

His passing was originally announced on Facebook here. If you have questions about his passing, check out the official FAQ. Please also consider donating to Lifelong AIDS Alliance; Tank loved his time there and his legacy will last indefinitely.

Index

  1. Forward
  2. Who was Tank Hafertepen?
  3. Tank's favourite things
  4. Memories
  5. Extras
Tank Hafertepen

Forward

Eulogizing my partner has been a challenging experience.

Tank was a militant atheist, leaving detailed instructions that his body be used to advance science, organs harvested for transplant, and his remains cremated without a service.

I want to believe that he is needed somewhere more important, but it would be disingenuous to force my spiritual beliefs of an afterlife on him. Instead, I found comfort in how Tank looked at death.

Tank understood that while his mind would eventually die, his energy could not by the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy is created in the universe, and no energy is destroyed. All the energy he shared with us--every touch, every word, every look--that energy will remain with us. He had a tremendous energy.

I see the butterfly effect Tank had on the world, and I miss him incredibly. He imprinted on those closest to him, and when we’re together, he’s there.

Creating a memorial is one way I hope to share his energy, selfishly to immortalize the man I love.

Thank you for visiting,

Dylan Hafertepen

Tank Hafertepen

Who was Tank Hafertepen?

Tank Heathcliff Hafertepen was originally born Jack Andrew Chapman on February 13th, 1990 in Australia, where he graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelors of Arts specializing in Social Research in 2012.

Everyone who has ever met Tank knows how wonderful, loving, and special he was. He radiated an effervescence of delight and looked at the world with a beautiful innocence. When you were with him, you couldn’t help but see that childlike wonder. It was infectious.

He lived to help people, and was happiest helping those he loved. The thing that could brighten his day was making yours better. That service came in many forms to his friends and community:

Tank Hafertepen's agenda

I love you, Tank. My best friend, my partner, my world. Thank you for allowing me to be in your life.

Tank Hafertepen

Tank's Favourite Things

He was not a material person, but he did have some indulgences. Join his family, friends, and I in celebrating his life by trying some of his favourite things:

These were his "favourite" things...but, "favourite" is not a true absolute for Tank as he was driven by curiosity and would always pick something new and unusual. Always. Catfish, durian, geoduck...he lived for the exotic and unusual.

Try some of Tank's favourites, but aim to embody his curiosity and try new things often.

Tank Hafertepen

Our Memories

These are some of our photos and writings from our shared history together. Ordered chronologically, it shows the progression of our relationship. Two, awkward young adults, building a life together with our unconventional family.

Tank was an avid photographer and photogenic model, with thousands of photos taken during our adventures. I’ve tried to select the meaningful moments and included captions for some.

Extras

Videos of Tank dancing are the purest embodiment of Tank. He produced dozens of these, but here are the only two that were appropriate for his memorial.


Video of Tank pulling his heaviest raw deadlift at 495lbs (or 225kg).

Compare to his competition raw deadlift 463lbs (or 210kg).


Tank was a big fan of Creative Commons, so please respect that everything on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.