A Much Sadder Goodbye

I was scheduled to have a farewell luncheon with my former co-workers this Thursday but the person I wanted to see the most couldn't be there so I had called it off. My former boss, Hugh Gregory, had a heart attack and was in a coma. I was being kept up to date on his condition and very hopeful for a recovery. This morning I got the news that he passed away. My heart is broken for his family. He was a friend and a father figure to me and I will miss him. I sent him an email about 10 days before his heart attack. In his response, the last words he said to me were, "You keep being you". I'll treasure those words.

What I will remember most about Hugh is his adorable relationship with his wife. I worked in the office next to Hugh for a very long time. No matter what kind of day he was having or what kind of mood he was in, his wife could light up his whole day with just a phone call. His voice would change to a tone that I only heard when he talked to his beloved Bonnie. I have to admit that I would stop what I was doing and listen to him because it was just so sweet and compelling. After more than 30 years he still treated her as though he had just met her. I loved that.

I am now waiting for funeral information and hoping that it will take place before we leave on Saturday. I can't believe he's gone. He was so looking forward to retirement. Sadly, that was to be in four months. He died just four months shy of his last day of work. He and I once had a light hearted conversation about what a travesty it would be to work all your life planning for retirement and die just short of it.

 Hugh Gregory, David Wood, Javier Valdez, Me, Liz Trepanier-Bartlett.  Dec. 2008

I will take this unfortunate event and use it to further inspire this journey I blog about.

God bless you, Hugh.  Thanks for everything you never knew you did for me. I should have told you.

Potelco Engineers 2008: Dave, Liz, Michelle, Beth, Hugh, Richard