Monday, June 13, 2011

In Memoriam

It was unexpected. One of my long-term co-workers, well-liked, good at his job, passed away over the weekend. He was a friend and though it is trite to say, I will miss him and so will everyone else at work.

Schedules had been rearranged and set for weeks in advance, because he was going in for minor surgery -- minor, but it would have kept him off work for well over a month. Something went wrong afterward (we've all signed the release. It's not unknown but it is rare).

He leaves behind a loving family -- wife, children, grandchildren -- and many friends. In a high-pressure business, he brought a kind of steady levelheadedness that is in short supply, calmly dealing with the frequent emergencies and ready for whatever came next.

He was, in short, a good man. He leaves a legacy at work, not only a collection of SOPs that guide operators through all the routine crises but an attitude of dealing with people and events as they are. It is as fine a thing as anyone could hope to leave behind -- and makes for very big shoes to fill.

10 comments:

North said...

I am sorry for your loss.

Home on the Range said...

I just heard and am so sorry. Coworkers can be just that, people you work with and that's about it, or so much more, a guide, a friend, someone to laugh with and rely on.

I know you will miss him.

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

Sorry, Bobbi :(

Tango Juliet said...

Sorry to hear that. :(

Bubblehead Les. said...

May God watch over his Family.

Guffaw in AZ said...

One just never knows.
Take care.

Mad Saint Jack said...

Kaddish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsFiSQRUUX8

Jeffro said...

It is not trite to say that you and everyone else at work will miss him. It's nothing but the truth. My condolences to his family and to you and your coworkers.

May the knowing that we share similar experiences ease your pain.

Hat Trick said...

I am sorry for your loss

Roberta X said...

I feel sorry for his family -- he was 58. Two of his daughters stopped by work today and I found I didn't have words enough -- or right enough -- to express my sympathy. So I told them that.