Ode to a Friend

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

I just received some very sad news about a guy you'll never get a chance to meet. Don Christensen, a man in his late fifties who'd worked for TEAC for about 15 years, was found dead in his house today. Don was the facilities manager here. He was one of the sweetest guys I've ever worked with, and took a ton of pride in his job, which by its very nature was often thankless. But if you had some work to do in the office over a weekend and didn't have keys to the building, the one guy who you'd know would be there to let you in was Don. Don was also the guy who could get stuff for you. I often teased him that no matter how weird my request, from a special pen to a kind of paper stock to a Zip disk to whatever, he'd either have it in stock or would walk into my office the next morning and place it on my desk. Don kept our modest facilities here in Montebello looking spotless, all the time. He did this since it was the right thing to do, plain and simple. There's a little lunch area outside the building, suurrounded by hedges with little picnic tables in the middle. I just went outside and marveled at how perfect the area was...well-trimmed grass, pretty topiary. That was Don. One time, in the early morning when only a few folks were around, Don (who was about 5' 4") came into my office and asked for a favor. Eager to help out this guy that had come through for me so many times, I gladly agreed. He led me to another area of the building, then turned to me and said, "Can you grab that box off the top shelf? I'm vertically challenged." Laughing, I obliged. He'll be sorely missed. I only hope he knew how much he was liked and appreciated here. Rest in peace, my friend. - Jeff

[Anderton]

<> I'll bet he did. I'm sure whenever he came through for you, you didn't just grunt and move on, but made it clear -- whether stated explicitly or not -- that you really appreciated it. And I'm sure you weren't the only one.

[patrick_dont_fret]

I feel for your loss. I just hate to see someone that was that important die young. My uncle was a very important, very influential person in my life, and he is missed very much. I wish his family well, as well as your company, as it looks like the guy that nobody noticed until he was gone has just left. My condolences to you again.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

[quote]Originally posted by Anderton: [b]I'm sure whenever he came through for you, you didn't just grunt and move on, but made it clear -- whether stated explicitly or not -- that you really appreciated it. And I'm sure you weren't the only one.[/b][/quote]Actually, Craig, that's true. Last year, when we were getting ready for the NAMM show, I just ran out of time. I needed to have a few thousand sheets of paper turned into 100 training binders and was beside myself trying to get it together. In swept Don, like Superman. He gathered up everything, asked how many I needed of what, and vanished. The next morning, all of my binders were at our pre-show rep meeting like magic. In addition to profusely thanking him in person, I wrote a lengthy commendation letter to his boss and the head of HR. It was the least I could do. Thanks for helping me remember that. - Jeff

[Bob Keelan]

Nice job Jeff. Sounds like this guy is going to a good place. bob

[Franknputer]

Absolutely. Look for a well-trimmed corner of Heaven. :) Thanks for sharing, Jeff.

[Tedster]

Jeff, Thanks so much for sharing one of the Human stories behind the technology we all love, and for underscoring the fact that the stuff we use, whether it comes from your company, or others, is the result of a team effort, and that there are a few folks who are more than willing to go the extra mile. I feel for the loss of you and your colleagues, and send out my heartfelt condolences. Beyond that, and I don't know what the cause of death was, but, if I were to take a guess, it would be heart related. And, I'd like to take this opportunity to urge all of our board members to see their physicians for regular checkups, not to ignore any potential heart related (or other health related) signal, get your cholesterol checked, blood pressure, etc.

[Rim]

Sorry to hear about your friend. Perhaps the man upstairs needed a good man. Apparently, our best man down here was sent to do the job. :)

[Hippie]

Sorry to hear about losing your friend, Jeff. It sounds like he was a one of the good guys, nice tribute. Matt

[Jotown]

Hey Jeff, Sorry about your loss. Your friend Don sounds like the kind of person who tried to be part of the solution, not the problem. God bless him. He is now in a place where nobody cares if it's analog or digital. Blessings. :wave:

[soapbox]

[b]Jeff[/b], it sounds as if your friend [b]Don[/b] was both well liked and respected. Thanks to your tribute, his life has now touched even more lives. My condolences for your loss. Best, Geoff

[jschmidt]

Nice memories of a Good man Jeff. Sorry to hear about his passing. The world needs more people like your friend and co worker.

[fantasticsound]

People like Don are few and far between. I'm glad you noticed, Jeff, that for a while, you were in the presence of a very special human being. I certain many of your coworkers are having similar conversations with the people in their lives about Don. That speaks volumes about the man. As sad as the news is, I couldn't help smiling at the kindness and compassion displayed by Don, and expressed by your post, Jeff. Please accept my condolances on your loss.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Thanks, all, for the responses. We still haven't been told the cause of Don's death, though I assume it was a complication of his diabetes. We also don't know the particulars of his memorial service yet, but of course I anticipate that it will basically shut TEAC down for a day, with all 200 or so of us attending...as I said, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone here who didn't appreciate this great little guy. - Jeff

[jpmiii]

Jeff I'm sorry for your loss, it sounds like he was an outstanding individual. I think it shows your stature is not measured by what's on the outside but by what's inside. Whenever I hear about someone like that it just reminds me not to take those around you for granted.