I have been struggling whether to write something about the passing of Marc Orchant. I wasn't sure if I wanted something so personal to be pushed into a public forum. But a good friend of mine suggested that it can be a comfort not only for me, but for others to remember him and share the amazing things he has done. And I couldn't just post a short note on the company blog site. It would have been such an antipathy to the way that we had dealt with each other in real life, when five minute conversations were a minimum of an hour and a half.

For those of you who may not be aware - Oliver Starr has set up a fund for Marc's family if you care to contribute.

In my own experiences with death I have always heard that in the end people want to be remembered not as a great marketing manager but a great husband, father, friend, etc. For Marc I have no doubt he will be remembered in his personal life as a man of the highest caliber. The conversation we had about his family and how much he loved them were enough to make that clear. But the thing was that for Marc, at least in my experience with him, the lines between business and friendship were not so easily drawn. He was such a mentor to me in so many ways and helped me far beyond any business relationship could go. And the very unique thing about Marc is that I know I was not even close to being alone in this. In the end I don't know if I could really describe what Marc did in his professional life - gave strategic insight, certainly! focused our messages, sure. But it was his advice from a human perspective that really mattered, how to imbue our work with the same ethos with which we live our lives. I am not sure what I am really trying to say but I guess it is that he was able to make professional things personal.

It seemed as if he was on the verge in his professional life of finally finding a fit that was beyond compare and I am really sad that he didn't get to see it through. He got a kick out of a lot of things in life, but I think this would have had him ...

I find myself writing this as he talked - without taking a breath. He could tell a story, man could he tell a story. I wish that just once I could have sat around a campfire with him. Marc taught me well about how to work virtually but this grieving virtually stuff just doesn't cut it. Maybe we could have a Marc-fest remembrance in the bay area? I think there are enough here that it would be worth it.

I find it amazing that knowing someone such a short time can affect you so much. And I have heard from so many people that this was true. Over and over again he made such a difference to the people he touched no matter how briefly. There is such a whole. You are so missed. I want to write more and more, maybe my own need to heal or to talk about how great he was or to explain why something like this could ever occur to him - him. But there are no more words.

So it goes.