Today is my coworker Rob’s funeral and while I had planned to go, I don’t think that I can. Its too much emotion to confine in this body and In public. I’d be crying for Rob, crying for Ted and a mess to be dealt with. I know Rob would give me a hug and tell me it’s ok.

Rob. Here’s what I know about Rob from my years of working with him. Rob liked adventure. I wouldn’t say he liked adventure as in you would find him alone in the artic or anything, I mean he liked adventure as in just his daily life. Rob had his pilot’s license and use to fly small planes to fun places. Crazy things would happen around Rob. Some were crazy good and some were crazy bad. I know he had at least two strangers die right in front of him on separate occasions. I know of several commercial flights he was on that had emergencies and the plane sent to an emergency landing area and crew and passengers sent down the evacuation slides. Once, on a business trip abroad, he and another sales guy were to be heading to one of the beaches one afternoon and since neither had packed a swimsuits, they each went off their different directions to shop and run errands. Several hours later, after shopping in completely different districts of the city, they showed up on said beach with identical swim trunks. I mean, that is so like a scene out of a cheesy comedy film, but that’s the kind of things that happened with Rob. Adventure happened with Rob.

People were drawn to Rob. He would get a sales call and before the call was over, he would know the life story of the caller. People would tell Rob intimate details of their life within minutes of the first Hello. Many of us would have shut down a caller that wanted to relay their current hurt and pain, but Rob would listen like he was sitting across the bar from them.

At work, Rob seemed to attract kids. We would laugh if we saw a big family pile out of a car about to come into the showroom and joke that they must be some of Robs customers because he always got the ones that took the most attention. Rob would have customers fly into Denver to try the chairs and literally bring their knitting and sit in a chair and knit for hours so that they knew what it would be like at home.

Rob was kind to everyone. Before covid, He would smoke on his breaks and purposefully leave about 1/4 to 1/3 of his cigarette out in a spot for the local homeless guys to come and pick up to finish.

Rob was a proud man. He was proud of his relationship and Marriage to Laura and proud of his son Cambell and the man he had grown up to be.

Rob wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t pretend to be. He could take a good joke at his expense and even add to it. Rob was fun to be around and never boring. We have more office tales of Rob over the years than anyone. There seemed to always be a story to go with anything Rob did.

He hasn’t been in the office for quite sometime, but I still very much feel his presence and I think most everyone else does too. Rob was a good guy and we all miss him.

I’m glad I knew you Rob. Heaven got lucky getting Ted, you and Betty White all in the same month.

Love Sally