Lost a colleague to liver cancer on Monday.  Charlie had fought the illness so bravely over the last 3 months, despite being hit by it so unexpectedly.  Though he was not the nicest guy to work with due to his arrogance and aggressiveness (to some of our colleagues), he and I enjoyed the kinship between us.  He used to confide in me on work frustrations, interesting sightings.  We shared gossips, silly jokes, CDs, etc.  He’s a good guy, always true to his feelings, never pretended.

As his family was so saddened by his passing, I was tasked to check on funeral services, columbarium, choose photo for his wake and prepare his obituary.  Cruel task….. another cruel task landed on the multimedia designer, who was tasked to compile a collection of his photos from our company’s photo library on his mom’s request.  My colleague was weeping as she browsed through the library, saddened further when she saw photos of Charlie smiling from ear to ear.  Sad…

To Charlie, thank you for including us in your short, well-lived 35 years of life and for entering into our life, sharing your happiness, sorrows and other moments.  You’ll be cherished and fondly remembered…may you rest in peace.