People die in this country daily, most with little or no fanfare. Their obituary will say when they were born, when they died and who they left behind. For most of us, a 75 year lifespan will be reduced to 3 or 4 column inches of space in the local newspaper.
This past week, a former colleague named John, passed away after a multi-year battle with cancer. John was 75 and literally, and some of us thought foolishly, tried to work right up to the day he died, but his failing health stopped him about 5 months shy of that goal.
John will be missed by those of us who knew him. My biggest regret is that he didn’t live long enough to see all the changes coming to the facility he managed, changes that came about because John pointed out the problems. In a way, those of us who knew him are wiser because we had the chance to see how one man met his end – on his terms.
Godspeed, John. Rest in peace.