“Whooo’s yer buddy?!!!”
Any time I answered the phone and heard that I knew Norm was about to get me out of another jam. I’d never even met him in person, yet he was easily one of my favorite co-workers. My job can be incredibly stressful and demanding, but that Texas good ol boy helped me pull through. When the hurricanes were pounding and things were at their worst, he kept things in perspective and kept me laughing. Mother Nature gave us her all, but with jokes and slightly off color emails we rolled right through it. I was bummed when he was transferred to another department but I still received the occasional “You know yer a redneck when…” email and we bantered on the phone a couple more times.
One emergency surgery later and now we’re never going to laugh on the phone again.
I occasionally get an email with the subject “For those of you who knew _____” – in a global company of thousands it’s not uncommon, but the odds of actually knowing the person are pretty small. Seeing Norm’s name in that blank this morning was unthinkable. I’m still having trouble registering it now. Up to that point I thought I was having a bad day. As always Norm helped me put things back in perspective.
I still love ya buddy.