Here is the face of a good man who meant a lot to people outside his family. His life was cut short by a drunken hit-and-run driver, But you may wonder, why am I making note of him here?
Well, this good man was a voice of calm in a sea of confusion. When I first met him, the bank I worked for went through a nasty hostile takeover battle, and he was one of the people who had to earn the trust of the new people he supervised. Over the years he worked for the bank, he did just that and was respected by all that knew him.
What most people didn't see is that he was quietly able to preserve (for a while) the careers of several people who worked for him when the next corporate merger occurred. He made sure that the people taking over our area knew the value of a handful of key employees (myself included) that were needed to keep the technology infrastructure running. He could have survived as well, but he didn't want to relocate himself again, this time to a city he hated.
Since that time, we stayed in contact over the years, and we met for lunch on the day that I was laid off from the bank. (That was a weird coincidence!) We'd get together at the Cheesecake Factory in West Nyack, a place which was equidistant from our houses. And when Covid hit, we'd meet via Zoom. Who knew that when I tried to set up the next Zoom meeting, I'd find out of his passing?
I was lucky to meet this man's family sitting Shiva. I only wish I could have met them while he was alive. I told the family about things I knew about him, and they shard things they knew about me and the office. And all too soon, we had to part ways.
As much as I am not much of a believer in the afterlife, I do believe that if there is one, he will be a good place. At least, I hope so....
