There was a Dr. Who companion known as Joe Grant, played by Katy Manning.  She was kind of frivolous.  Kind of bumbling.  When I first started watching Dr. Who all those years ago I was first introduced to the first few seasons of Tom Baker.  Then the last couple of seasons of John Pertwee.

Joe Grant fell right at the end of Pertwee, and right before Tom Baker's incarnation of the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.  Deft, inquisitive and engaging Sarah Jane.  The Doctor Who companion considered by many fans who started with the original series to be "the companion" for Doctor Who.  The Golden Years of Elizabeth Sladen and Tom Baker.

I admit that when I was growing up, me and other fans of Doctor Who I knew kind of considered Joe to be kind of the "Lieutenant Broccoli" of Doctor Who.  It seemed that her only purpose was to be there for Doctor Who and Unit to rescue, making some jokingly wonder how she wound up as part of Unit at all.  To many she lost even more "geek cred" when Katy Manning agreed after she was no longer with the show to pose nude with a mock-up Dalek.  I wish there was a particular term for when someone participates in self parody where it seems the joke was more on an individual than going along with them.

Fast forward.  It has been a hard last couple of years for fans of the original series as far as companions are concerned.  Elizabeth Sladen's successful series reprising Sarah Jane in the Sarah Jane Chronicles was cut short when she succumbed to her battle with cancer at only 65 back in 2011.  Nicholas Courtney, who played Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart from Troughton through Baker and beyond also passed away in 2011.  Caroline John, the actress who played Joe Grant's predecessor, the cool headed Cambridge scientist Elizabeth Shaw passed away in 2012 at 71.

Even Mary Tamm, who played the original Romana, the rogue time lord with the ice queen persona passed away in July of this year.  She was only 62 when she died.  As a tragic footnote her 60 year old husband died of a heart attack in their home just a few hours after delivering the eulogy at his wife's funeral.

So you're a huge geek.  Here are your geek heroes and icons.  In just three short years the actors that portrayed the supporting cast of the "Golden Years of your Geekdom" are obituaries.

Some wag on his blog suggested Katy Manning should be getting nervous.  The actress who played Joe Grant is the only one left alive from that time period.  I am starting to feel more respect for Joe Grant.

They say that the Doctor never says good bye.  He almost never returns to visit one of his old companions once their journey is completed.  But even the Raggedy Man has to pay the price of Time.  And the price of Time, as those of us in the mundane world know, is saying good bye.

Goodbye to heroes, good bye to matinee and serial idols.  Good bye to best friends, lovers and family.  Neil Gaiman tweeted just yesterday something about his wife asking him how many women he'd made love with who are dead now.  It made me immediately think if I could think of anyone who had already died who I'd been in a relationship with, however briefly.

Lord I don't think I could stand to live 900 years and have to play the Good bye game so long and so hard.