Farewell to a dear friend- Marc Orchant
This is one of the hardest things I have had to write. Dear friend Marc Orchant passed away today having never recovered from the heart attack he suffered a week ago. Marc has touched me so deeply and will always be in my memory, and I am sure that many, many people feel the same way. Marc’s funeral will likely be held in the middle of this week for those wishing to attend and details will be made available shortly. Another of Marc’s good friends Oliver Starr received the sad news from Marc’s family and has posted the details, and I’ve reproduced them for Marc’s friends to see:
It is with great sadness that I report thatMarc Orchant, Husband to Sue, Father to Rebecca and Jason, and friendto so many, passed away just a short time ago. I was notified by Marc’sbrother Craig.
His family and closest friends were at hisside and his favorite music was playing. Craig said that Marc’s passingwas as peaceful and easy as anyone could have hoped and he left thisworld surrounded by love from so many people that he couldn’t possiblyhave failed to know how many people cared for, appreciated andrespected him.
Anyone that knew Marc also knew how much heloved music; especially the Grateful Dead. The excerpt below is fromone of the songs that helped the family say goodbye to Marc and helpedMarc move on to the next world. I talked to Marc almost every singleday for the past couple of years. I’m sure that I’m not alone when Isay that I am going to miss him so, so much.
To allow for people that may need to traveland take time of work, services are most likely going to be held thiscoming Wednesday afternoon at the Temple where the Orchants aremembers. I will provide more specific details as soon as they have beenprovided to me. Marc’s family expressed once again their gratitude forthe outpouring of love and support that the technology community hasshown in this very difficult time. Your warmth, concern and friendshipwill not be forgotten.
River gonna take me
Sing me sweet and sleepy
Sing me sweet and sleepy
all the way back home
It’s a far gone lullaby
sung many years ago
Mama, Mama, many worlds I’ve come
since I first left homeGoin home, goin home
by the waterside I will rest my bones
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul
My God. What an enormous loss! God bless Sue as she goes forward without her dearest friend and mate.
Oh no!
I have been reading Marc’s weblogs and listening to his podcasts for years. Years ago I attended a Microsoft Search Champs meeting with him, although we didn’t speak much.
From his weblogs and podcasts I learned a lot not only about technology but also something about Marc’s personal life. I always wanted to meet Marc.
I am so sad about this — for Marc’s relatives and friends. Words can’t express my feelings. I am so very sorry.
This is really sad news. I never met Marc, nor spoke with him, but the respect he held in the tech community was obvious for all to see.
I will fill my heart with hope and comfort for Marc’s family, as I had from the first moment we all heard of Marc’s heart attack. It’s a sad day for all of us in this small world of ours.
Rest in peace Marc; mine and I’m sure all of the JKOnTheRun readers thoughts are with you and your family.
What sad news, especially during the holidays. My deepest condolences for the Orchant family and his friends.
Marc was a friend to many who never had a chance to meet him. This is very sad. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
Steve
So sad. Marc reached out to a lot of people I know across the web. I thought the news wouldn’t be good today, when I read the earlier post.
I’m still in shock over the tragedy of Marc’s passing, but I too had a bad feeling based on this morning’s update. More to say later… for now: you will be missed, Marc. Peace.
From the great stuff he talked about on the TabletPC show to the many blog postings I have read. Marc was a asset to the mobile community and to the Tablet PC community. I am also reminded of how fragile life can be. Thanks for all of the great blog postings and wonderful podcasts. The tech community will sorely miss Marc. God bless him and his family. This is a terrible time of year to lose someone, but we must remember what a gift he has been to the tech community as well as his family. God Bless Marc. Hopefully you are already using your dream mobile device as you are most definitely going to be a busy angel.
This is difficult news and such a loss to Marc’s family, and extended family in the mobile tech world. I’m sure I join many in saying my thoughts and prayers are with Marc’s family, and to thank Mark for his outstanding insight. We’ve never met, but I know I am better off having read and listened to his experiences.
Sunday nights were the nights I would walk my dog and listen to the conversations you and Mark would have and record usually on Sunday mornings it seemed. It was typically the perfect ending/beginning to the week behind and the week ahead, listening to your high minded but intimate and friendly discussions. The last time you and he talked and let all of us in on it was three months ago and it will remain in my iTunes library and on my iPhone for a long time to come. Marc’s was a beautiful mind if there ever was one, and I will have a very hard time letting go of it, so I can’t even imagine what you and his loved ones are going through right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you James and I want to sincerely thank you for letting me share in the friendship you shared with Marc.
This is really tragic :/ RIP Marc.
I was looking forward to meeting him at ces. Now we will raise a glass to his memory. My condolences to you for the loss of your dear friend.
What else could I say that others haven’t said already?
Truly this is a sad loss, and I will be praying for his family. My only comfort in this is knowing that Marc is where he truly belongs, and the world is lucky to have been blessed by his efforts during his life.
Never met Marc… except, like many here, on the OTR tbpc podcasts. But still, he and James have been frequent welcome visitors – usually during lonely late-night runs at my deadlines.
Feeling rueful, I went to the page featuring the most recent OTR tabpc podcast – from September…It’s headline? “Marc’s back!”…
For a flicker of a second I had a George Bailey feeling – maybe reality had been corrected. But it referred, I think, to a tech glitch James and Marc had battled on a previous show.
I hopped around in the podcast, not to be morbid…but as a kind of distant salute to one of the genuine good guys. The kind we can’t afford to lose.
Well, maybe he is “back”…where he started and where he’s waiting for those who grieve for him.
James, the podcast’s signature “I feel so vulnerable” closing song never made as much sense as it did tonight.
t
Aww no. I really wished with all my being that you would pull through. So Long Marc.
Sue, Rebecca and Jason, my thoughts are with you.
I’m a nobody and sent Marc a note, he responded with two paragraphs of text, I have a great deal of respect for this man. It’s amazing how we all seem to forget how fragile life is.
http://blogs.officezealot.com/marc/
I have very sorry for such loss. Evidently, all my favorite sites and their authors have mourned for this man.
I am a young man at early 20s. Seeing a man passes away at early 50s is considered very young in my book. I hope I will know more from the cause of his heart disease (genetics, lack of exercises, and unhealthy food intakes, etc.) so that all the young men will avoid the same mistakes especially the ones that will be as productive as he is.
This is extremely depressing. In the hysteria of the holidays over this weekend, I had forgotten all about Marc’s condition. It wasn’t until tonight, reading through my feeds, that I read EVERYWHERE how sorely Marc will be missed.
I absolutely LOVED the OTR Podcasts with JK and Marc Orchant. It was the one podcast that I never missed and the only one I ever would remember during the week…just walking around doing my daily thing, then POP, into my mind – I wonder why there hasn’t been a TabletPC podcast in awhile.
The best part, and I hope its OK to say here, was how Marc always kept James on track. I think I was more entertained by the interplay between the two personalities and their common love of TabletPCs/gadgets more than the information itself. You guys were really great together – a special combination that doesn’t come around all that often.
Thank you so much for all the time and effort you two put into making those podcasts and giving me a chance to “meet” Marc Orchant. My life has been richer because of it.
Please pass on my condolences to his family..now time to download the couple podcasts I missed…
To add to all the comments above…
RIP Marc Orchant
We’ll all miss you.
This sucks so f’ing much. Marc was such a great guy, always positive, always supportive. The times I got to chat with you guys on the Tablet PC podcast was awesome, hanging out with Marc at the MVP summit and arguing about when the bubble would burst…. I’m really gonna miss all that. I’m just some nobody with a crappy plugin and he’s one of the most respected journalists in the world yet when I met him for the first time last year *he* seemed so excited to meet *me*. I think that shows just what a world class, selfless guy he was (is). That’s all I can say. I don’t like this choked up feeling one bit. It’s not my style.
Wow. How unexpected, and how very, very sad. I only knew Marc through podcasts and his blog posts, but I learned a lot from him and always found his thoughtful, incisive commentary interesting and helpful. I know he sought to get as much done as possible and worked to find joy and balance in both his professional and family life. I recall his frequent asides about going to concerts, enjoying Albuquerque, and practicing GTD. He indeed got an enormous amount done, and he will be missed, even by legions of us who never personally met him. My condolences to his family & friends and to James, through whom I got to know Marc a bit. RIP, Marc Orchant.
The Tech Community has lost a dear friend
James Has Lost a Dear Friend and
A Family has Lost a Husband and Father
But Rejoice In The Many Memories That Will Not Fade
It is Truely A Sad Day For All
My Sympathies Go Out To Family and Friends
That is such a shock and I speak simply as a reader/listener of marc’s
My thoughts are with Sue and family and I hope that they might find even a little comfort in the love and respect that the tech community has shown for Marc.
It really is a sad loss.
Wow. So unexpected, I have no words… just sympathy for the family and friends.
— Steve
I’ve been reading Marc’s words and hearing his voice for so long that I feel like I’ve lost a friend.
Marc will be missed by so many across the world. My thoughts and sympathy are with his family and friends. Rest in peace Marc.
Wish Marc’s family my condolence. Marc will be missed.