I met Mark while working for a wireless equipment maker in the late 90s. Slight of frame, bright of mind and sunny in outlook, Mark was one of those people that could get along with anyone…the kind of person whom you gravitated to at a party because you knew he would be glad to see you and take interest in what you had to say, no matter how weighty or inane.
I last saw him at a lunch we shared in February. We had not had much contact after we both left our former employer, but I wanted to ask him a few questions regarding a job search I was doing. An hour or two before we were supposed to meet I got a text message from him. He didn’t want to startle me when I saw him…he had some recent health problems and would be dragging an oxygen tank with him to lunch.
Mark arrived at the restaurant and looked frail. The warm smile and sunny disposition were still there, but you could see weariness in his eyes. He spoke a little about his condition…doctors were running tests/they didn’t know the root cause of the illness/he might need to take a leave to get some specialized help. Mostly, he and I spoke about friends in common, what each of us was doing now, the usual kinds of lunch chitchat. We left the lunch vowing to stay in touch.
Last Friday I got a text message from another friend who said that Mark had died the day before of cancer. Quite a shock. Mark was in his 40s, still vibrant, but another victim of the Big C. The flame cast by Mark is now snuffed out. A little less light in the world. Another friend gone.
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