Heartfelt condolences for your loss. It is hard to lose such a good friend so young.
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Thank you for writing this. I happened to pick up the most recent Cornell Alumni magazine and flipped through my decade. I was stunned to read about Oliver’s passing. We were long-time friends, although with life getting ahead of me the past few years, I hadn’t been to Ithaca or reached out for a periodic email.
I couldn’t tell you the first time we met - I was a student, working part-time at CIT, and he worked for a different subgroup, so it was probably a retirement party or thrilling department meeting. My senior year, he moved into the office next to the one I shared with five other students. A smile became a hello, a coffee became lunch, and it was as though we’d known each other for years.
I’d come back to Ithaca for work, and we’d catch up. I remember when he and Amelia became engaged, he was beaming. It was obvious that they were soul mates. Years later, during a particularly hot & humid reunion weekend, our two families got together at their home. My youngest, then 2, had a magnificent time in the mud by the little rivulet in their side yard.
I don’t know why we didn’t make it back to Ithaca after that - it was always on the tomorrow list. Now tomorrow is gone, and I miss my friend.
Oliver was a kind, gentle, McGuyver-like man who introduced me to Star Trek (Next Gen - I too am old!), Nutella, bike helmets, camping in Maine, and flying in very small planes. He loved many things, but most of all, he loved helping people in a subtle, gentle way. When I was at Cornell, he lived in a similar way - gently, fully cognizant of the footprints we leave behind. He was real, genuine, and humble, a unique man and a great friend. I know he loved his family and friends deeply, and I am certain he misses them - and you both.
Thank you again.
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Thanks for sharing this, @Mel1783—it’s always nice to hear from someone else whose life intersected with Oliver’s. And yes, tomorrow is a slippery character that must be pinned to the ground or it will wiggle away repeatedly. You might be amused to know the back of the shirt I’m wearing in the photo says “carpe uiam”—a play on the classic “carpe diem” that means “sieze the run” in Latin.
Perhaps the next time you come to Ithaca for a reunion, we can go for a walk around campus and share some stories.