There came a man who was sent from God...

...his name was John. (I John 1:6)

I normally have an unwritten "rule" that I don't post about my work here. But today I am making an exception.

There was a man who was a leader. He was a leader in his workplace. He was a leader in his community. He was a leader in his church and in his family.

He was a man who cared. He cared about his work. He cared about his community. He cared about children and education.

He cared about me. I know, because every time I saw him he said hello to me. He asked about my children. He was important. I was nobody. But he treated me like I was somebody.

I went out to eat one night, and had to wait a few minutes for my reservation. I picked up a magazine about local people and events. There was an article about a couple who gave of themselves by volunteering in the schools, in Boy Scouts, and countless other community and civic organizations. It was about John and his wife. I showed the article to my husband. "They are not exaggerating," I said. I was really proud to know him, to work with him.

John Rex died this week, and he will be greatly missed. He was the President of the company I work for. And he was so much more. His legacy will live on. May I, and those who knew him, uphold his memory by doing likewise.

In loving memory, John Rex, 1933-2006