You Never Know…

I was really torn up to read that Marc Orchant had passed away. Marc and I had crossed paths at conferences many times and also exchanged email from time to time.

At the most recent Gnomedex he asked me to consider coming to New Mexico to speak at an event that he was helping to plan and I accepted with enthusiasm. Just a month ago I flew to Alburquerque and spent the afternoon before the NMITSA event hanging out with Marc and his pal Oliver Starr in the lobby of the Embassy Suites hotel. He and Oliver made a good team, with Marc doing his best to help Oliver to stay on track and on time.

A week ago yesterday Marc suffered a heart attack and (apparently) some neurological damage. He lapsed into a coma and passed away yesterday afternoon without ever regaining consciousness.

What a bummer.

Marc was one of the good guys. When we talked in the lobby last month he was in the process of disengaging from his position at Blognation and anticipating the start of a new job working with David Allen of GTD (Getting Things Done) fame.

He was way too young to go and leaves behind a wife and two teenagers.

You always hear about people never knowing how long they have on this Earth, and this example only serves as a reminder of that sad but true fact. I don’t have any sappy platitudes to offer to make this into a more positive statement. In this case, you can’t say “be careful,” you can’t say “exercise more,” you can’t say “eat more healthy.” All you can say is that you never know.

Oliver has set up a fund to raise funds to help his family; you can access it here.

Rest in Peace, Marc.