I just returned from attending a friend’s funeral. He leaves behind a wife and a teenage son. A brother. And many many people who liked and admired him.
We were next door neighbours for 5 years and he was a kind and gentle soul. He’d always tease my daughter about the flip flops she like to wear in the summer. He’d ask her if he could borrow them which always made my little girl laugh.
I’d often see him stroll down his driveway in housecoat and slipper, coffee mug in hand, to get his newspaper. On weekends he’d mow his lawn and we’d talk about the garden and various neighbourly stuff.
When I was out of work for a while he suggested that I give him my resume and he’d pass it on to somebody at work. I knew where he worked, he was a public servant, but his title was meaningless to me. To me he was just “T”, the guy in the housecoat.
I got a call from the CIO of the IT dept, was interviewed and hired. I worked with him (indirectly) for a little over a year. The first time I dropped by his office I ran the gauntlet of executive admins and personal assistants before getting in to see him. He introduced me to his staff and smoothed the way for future un-encumbered visits. We’d sit in his tennis court sized office and chat about the same stuff we chatted about in our driveways: politics, kids, vacations. He always made time for me. He was particularly kind when he found out I was going through a divorce. His door was always open.
At the funeral, hundreds of people were in attendance. The secretary of the ____ department and the former secretary read eulogies. The U.S. president sent a personal letter of condolences. Flags are flying at half mast at his place of work. He was very well thought of by many.
I’d moved over a year ago and we’ve fallen out of touch. I ran into him last month at the grocery store. We caught up and joked around. He asked about my kids. I asked about his.
That was the last time I was to see him. He died of a heart attack at the age of 54.
It’s sad knowing I’ll never see him again.
). It is a good way to remember someone.