I was contemplating posting something rather silly this morning when an email arrived from my friend MK who still works in the bank office I left a year ago.
More than once I've commented on my total relief at leaving that job. Over 8 years I'd become quie miserable there. Despite my deep desire to escape the job, I had developed strong relationships with several of the people I'd worked with and knew I'd miss interacting with them.
One of those people was our Chief. Don't get me wrong, he was a very difficult man to work for. He had a terrible temper at times, was certifiably OCD and I'd have sworn he was bi-polar from the scope of his mood swings. I'd often ask his secretary which Chief had showed up that day, the good one or the bad one. If it was the bad the one, I'd avoid him completely. But the good one was a lot of fun. He was the king of the practical joke and could often be found acting ridiculously silly with employees when the mood struck. He was the instigator of the Christmas Fun Committee, for better and for worse. Despite his craziness, I always felt like he took care of me when it was necessary - from getting me promotions to offering to drive me home the day I found out my grandfather died. I certainly don't miss working for him, but I do miss being around him.
Two weeks ago I had an email from MK letting me know that the Chief had been hospitalized after his wife found him unresponsive. Over the course of that week they did a variety of tests to rule out a heart attack, massive stroke, TIA, viral infection, etc. After a few days he went home with more tests scheduled. Today's update was a bit surprising. As it turns out, one of the early tests showed a mass in his frontal lobe, the rest of the tests were just to rule out contributing factors. He had chosen not to tell anyone at work, and I certainly don't blame him for that. He was supposed to have corrective brain surgery this morning, but it was postponed because his doctors decided they wanted him to get a second opinion with another specialist today.
What compounds my sadness over this news is that it came a week before they were set to announce that management had hired a new Chief to replace him when he retires next March. The new Chief was supposed to start soon and train with him for the year as he gradually hands over the reins. Obviously, they've postponed the announcement as nobody knows exactly what's going to happen at this point. I know how much he has been looking forward to retirement. He has several grandkids who are quite obviously the highlights of his life. He's very active, hiking, boating, swimming, and competing in all kinds of physical competitions. The man hiked the Grand Canyon a few years ago, for goodness sake! I can only pray that however this turns out, it is successfully managed and he's able to continue doing all the things he's planned during his retirement. Despite being a bit crazy, he meant a lot to me.
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6 comments:
I hate to hear it. I'll pray for him.
man, our blogs are depressing today. =(
I was just thinking the same thing!
Chief's a good man. Irritating as hell to work for, but a good man at heart.
Sorry to hear about that. Wonder if the mass had anything to do with the mood swings (how long had it been there/been forming)?
I thought about that, but based on the stories I've heard from people who've worked with him forever, those mood swings have been around for at least 25 years!
I did find out that they confirmed a marble sized, rapidly growing tumor and he should be in surgery this morning, although they weren't sure exactly what time.
Susan I just came across a pretty good picture of y'alls booth. I'll try to email it later. Remind me if I forget.
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