Update: Since there is public notice here now, I'll refer you to that.
Its a very sad day for us at DevelopMentor as one of our own -- and one
of our best -- passed away over the weekend. My heart sank about three
times when I read the email from our CEO that one of our best was gone.
While I did not get the opportunity to work with this person nearly has
much as I would have liked to, I can honestly say he represented us
very well. Smart, confident is his job, focused on provide our
customers with exactly what they needed. Very professional without
being aloof or distant. He cared about his customers and the rest of us
in DM far beyond the paycheck. He earned my immediate and total respect
for that.
But more over, I came to enjoy his company. Sure, we had lots in
common: be both love dogs and beer and our girlfriends. We're both big
guys and enjoyed food and music. That's what made him special to me: he
didn't feel like he had to earn my friendship, but he had immediately.
The most fitting thing I can think of say is nothing, merely repeating
Ted Kooser's "After Years" poem that seems to speak volumes to me at
times like this:
Today, from a distance, I saw you
walking away, and without a sound
the glittering face of a glacier
slid into the sea. An ancient oak
fell in the Cumberlands, holding only
a handful of leaves, and an old woman
scattering corn to her chickens looked up
for an instant. At the other side
of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times
the size of our own sun exploded
and vanished, leaving a small green spot
on the astronomer's retina
as he stood on the great open dome
of my heart with no one to tell.