The loss of someone close to you is always a shock but it conjures up a sense of loss and grief in us that is difficult to explain or comprehend. I have no words.
My friend Martin who I wrote about a couple of weeks ago passed away last night…
I am still in shock given that he was diagnosed only a month ago and had been in and out of hospital over the course of that time.
The loss and grief that I’m feeling right now is all encompassing.
Admittedly, I shed a few tears after the hearing the news this morning. Perhaps it’s the shock of hearing the news so soon after his diagnosis or is it the profound sense of loss I’m feeling right now.
I know that he’s not in pain anymore which had been hovering around a 10/10 for the past month.
So, for that reason I’m happy that he’s no longer suffering…
He was a one-of-a-kind friend.
As you know the best kind of relationships are those that stand the test of time but invariably have the same qualities:
You don’t need to talk to them every day, in fact there are times when you may not speak for months on end, but when you do it feels like you had just spoke to them.
These are the types of friends who only want the best for you, they are never jealous but are always in your corner supporting you.
They are not afraid to tell you that you screwed up or that you are out of line, but it comes from a place of love and caring including not letting petty disagreements get in the way of the relationship.
You can call them anytime and they will be there for you no matter what.
Nope, these are your friends for life!
I suppose one of the worst parts about losing my friend is that true friends are difficult to come by as few of us connect in a way that fulfils the criteria that I outlined above.
Being on the same invisible wavelength irrespective of the years is truly a gift.
When you encounter a friendship like this, you definitely know it cos you can feel it in your core.
In many ways if feels effortless, but each of you are motivated and committed to the friendship in a way that is unspoken often years in the making.
As I reminisce about his life there were two things that he was most passionate about in his life.
The first was his wife Glenda to whom he had been married to for 28 years. When I first met Martin, I was working with both he and Glenda on a large technology project at CIBC which is one of the largest Canadian banks.
Our three paths seemed to cross a few times over the course of our working careers, with Martin and I actually working together closely on a couple of occasions.
His other passion was motor racing.
There wasn’t a thing that Martin didn’t know about racing, and I mean all forms.
In his own right, Martin was an accomplished race car driver and for a number of years owned and raced his own team (Wutfun Racing) in the Canadian Touring Car category.
After a successful career on the track, he retired, but he was far from done in the genre of racing.
He then set his sights on learning and competing Radio Control Car Racing. As you can imagine he was a quick learn and it wasn’t long before he was competing in world class competitions where he constantly near or on top of the podium.
During this time, he wrote and published a book on the intricate details to successfully setting up and racing radio-controlled cars.
He was a well-known and popular part of this community for many years.
In 2017 his was diagnosed with bladder cancer. During his lengthy recovery he and Glenda moved to Australia where Glenda took up a senior role with one of the Australian big banks.
While in Australia Martin also took part in the Targa Touring car rally event held at Mount Buller in 2019. As a Canadian, racing on these icy mountain surfaces didn’t faze him one bit and as you can imagine loved every moment of it.
It was at this time that Martin also began focusing his attention on Sim-racing (online).
As you can imagine he was an instant success and raced competitively over the next few years online with his global colleagues.
He was fortunate enough to be able retire from his technology career in his 40’s and spent the remainder of his short life (59 when he passed away) enjoying his time with Glenda and immersed in his passion of racing.
He passed peacefully at home with Glenda and his sister, holding his hand while listening to his favourite music (Chuck Mangione, “Feels so good“).
Martin lived life on his terms and although a significant loss will be remembered fondly by all who had the opportunity to know him.
Rest now mate, until we meet again…
Ciao
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