This is long past due, but this week has been absolutely crazy at work. Thing is, he would have been happy about me getting my job done than putting it off to write this.
Our Board President passed away last Saturday, Duane Carrell.
Talk about someone being dedicated to what they believed in...Duane believed in our agency and more importantly, he believed in us.
One time, I spoke at the Jasper County interagency meeting. The lady from the Press-Mentor wrote a huge story on our Agency and it was on the front page of the paper. Duane came in bringing 5 copies. He was so proud of it. He stopped by my office and said if my speech was half as good as the story I had done a very good job. I told him she asked for my notes after the speech and had basically typed them verbatum.
Last summer, I presented our computer classes to the board. I love talking about what I do so although it wasn't hard, it was still nerveracking. Duane called Marsha the next morning and told her what a terrific job he thought I had done. The next time he was up, he came and told me.
That's an encourager, Duane definately was. To say he will be missed is an understatement. We have a wonderful Board of Directors and I am sure we will carry on with no problem but there will always be a void there that just couldn't be filled by anyone but him.
In the past 5 years, I have gotten a chance to know him as a friend too, we have had some good sit downs. I answer the phone at work once in a while and so I had talked to him a couple of weeks ago. The last time I saw him though, he was sick with a cold. He was needing some stuff from the office so I dropped it off at his house. He didn't want me getting too close because he didn't want me to get sick, we still stood in the door and visited. He would always want to know how things were going--even when he was sick; in fact he had a meeting with Marsha and one of the board members last Thursday in his hospital room.
When Marsha told us the diagnoses Friday morning, they had thought at the time that he had a few weeks, I had ever intention of stopping by Monday night and seeing him. I never got the chance but in return, I know he couldn't have suffered long and for that I am thankful.
Ever since his wife died, you could tell there was a part of him that longed to be with her. The fact that he is there is a reason to be thankful.
He will be sorely missed.
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