The owner/founder of the company I have dedicated twelve years of my working life to passed away at his home on Thursday night. He was not, what I feel, your typical owner type. Howie was so personable, and put on a face that made him seem less approachable than he actually was. You got close enough you figured it out, he was a pussy cat... A total Teddy Bear to the nth power and was exremely generous... Our human nature leaves a little to be seen with generosity and of course always leaves us wanting more, but not in Howie's case. He gave...and gave. Keeping the doors open to our company when he didn't need it and saw it floundering he pumped it full of life again and got it going...someone tried to take us down and he pulled us back up. Howie did that... his right hand man did that... we didn't have to be here still and he made it possible for me/us to come into work when they weren't sure that there would be a work to come to...
When I bought my first car 100% by myself I was working here... and when I bought it, I went into his office when he wasn't busy and thanked him. I gave him credit where credit was due. They didn't have to hire me, he didn't have to let them keep me and he certainly didn't have to let me take on the roll in the company that I was given. I was a "go-fer", a "gal friday" but being that I had my hands in everything and I am still to this day shocked at the meetings and discussions I took part in... I remember him congratulating me on my engagement, my marriage, my first child, my new house, my second child...and most recently, just a couple of weeks ago, I parked a new car in his parking lot and he was there when I drove up. I got a big smile, pat on the back "Good girl" from him and it was lovely... it was a great feeling. An intoxicating sense of belonging is what he brought to the table for me and I love it...and I will always love it and I will be here to make sure that I do right by him because he let me be here doing my job for this long... why not longer? At every christmas party, he made a speech... he handed little envelopes of "Thank you" gifts and each person was called up by name and given a hand shake/hug by The Big Man and every year he'd look at me and be shocked by my tenure and we'd joke "another year girl" and I'd say "and another year next year if you'll have me" wakka wakka... and now he's gone... I know his health was failing him, that was no secret, but I had a different scenario in mind. I thought one day the CFO would come in discretely to my office and mention his health and a possible ICU stay and then a few days later we would get the news...but there was nothing. He was in here on Tuesday and didn't come in Wednesday or Thursday..Friday morning we had a company wide meeting (never a good sign) and I was told to turn off the phone system (NEVER a good sign) and I knew it, I knew it before the CFO even spoke his first words....
Goodbye Poppy Howie I will never forget you, I will always miss you, and as long as there is a company to work for I'll be here at my desk because that's where I belong... Mazel tov....
