Eulogy
(given by Randy Marconet)
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Introduction The events this week were tragic but I think Waleed would hate it if we were too serious. With this in mind I want to make sure that we focus not so much on what happened but more on who Waleed was. This may be a good time to introduce the notion of WHOLe. What is WHOLe? WHOLe is what I am calling Waleed's Handbook on Life (I need a little help with the "e" if anyone has any creative suggestions to complete my acronym). For the benefit of those that might not be as familiar with Waleed's life here is a quick review.
But they only tell half of a story. Chapter 1: Waleed understood the value of taking risks. We were at just under 10,000 feet in the Utah's Wassatch Mountains. Ronald, Waleed, and I were in 4 inches of power and it was snowing heavily. The wind was blowing strongly reducing visibility to only a few feet and the temperature was a frigid 10 degrees. I can still recall the group deciding to take an intermediate run but Waleed said: "I'll meet you at the bottom, I'm thinking of going this way." We looked in the direction that Waleed had indicated. A large sign read "Warning Expert Skiers Only". A quick look at the ski trail map revealed single and double diamond expert runs with foreboding names like Perseverance, Rattler, and No-you-don't. The slopes were deserted the other skiers on the mountain deciding to leave that side to the experts or the insane. Knowing I was not the former but beginning to suspect strongly in the latter. Ronald and I agreed to follow. We proceeded on some of the most treacherous, exhausting runs, and probably the absolute best skiing ever. This small story was a typical example of how Waleed was fearless. He was not afraid of taking risks for he knew through calculated risk often is found the greatest reward. Many times in his life he left the security of the present to put it all on the line to venture into the unknown. He went to Turkey to launch and develop several new initiatives for Monitor. This meant leaving everything he knew and starting over in a new land. This risk paid off in many ways including his making the acquaintance of Mirel for which he formed a very strong relationship. A few years later he was asked to relocate again to England. Once again he seized the opportunity and it was in England that Waleed met Nicolette. WHOLe Lessons Learned. 1) "The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all" (Jawaharlal Nejru) 2) You have to take a risk now and then to grow. Chapter 2: Waleed was sensitive to the needs of Family, Friends, and Relationships. One time while Waleed was hiking in a South American rain forest he had a mishap with his palm pilot. The LCD display was cracked and Waleed sent the device back to Joseph and I to salvage and repair. We extracted Waleeds contact list and I was amazed at the number of names we found, it contained literally thousands of names. Waleed was very anxious to get the palm back and called daily to check on its status. Without his palm pilot Waleed felt lost. On another occasion I noticed that during quiet times Waleed was always on the phone calling his contacts. Some of the calls where clearly for business but most seemed to be just a friendly, I haven't talked to you in a while and wanted to catch-up. I eventually put these two events together and understood that Waleed truly valued his friendships and relationships. The large number of contact were because it did not matter how busy or where he was in the world he made it priority maintain his relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. Waleed had a personality that was just fun to be around. His warm smile, gregarious laugh, his ability to listen, and his laid-back manner made people feel comfortable and fostered trust. A letter from one of Waleed's clients sum it up this way: ... "Over the last years we had established a strong business relationship of overwhelming intensity and trust. Waleed was a great thinker, a consistent source of inspiration and just a wonderful person to work with. WHOLe Lessons Learned 3) Balance your time between business and your relationships 4) Understand that relationships must be continually maintained and nurtured. Chapter 3: Waleed had an incredible Zest for life. Waleed's several adventures included: Biking the 400 miles from San Francisco to Santa Monica, going on safari in Africa, Scootering through parts of Asia, Exploring the rain forests of South America, Biking through numerous parts of France, Italy, and Germany, and lastly and probably most impressively driving a car in England. One particularly amazing event occurred on a trip to Asia Waleed had several days on his own until his friends joined him. As he walked along the back streets in India and found a Monastery. This Monastery had an area with hundreds of bells. As he approached he found a Monk preparing to ring the bells. He curiously inquired about the bells. The Monk upon learning Waleed was a visitor from the west and delighted by Waleed interest in the bells invited Waleed to stay. He stayed with the Monks for three days, sharing information about the west and learning more about how the monks lived. Ultimately his little stroll turned out to be a rare and treasured life event. Waleed was special; he could find humor and have a good time doing almost anything. He was quick to laugh and loved being playful. Nicolette described her recent trip to Greece as, "It was great .. it was like having my own personal clown following me around." When Waleed would visit his parent's house. His doting mother would spend days-preparing Waleeds favorite dishes. Rolled Grape leaves, toubuli, kibie, and many other dishes where prepared. When these delectable items were served you could observe how Waleed treasured every bite, savored every swallow, and appreciated every smell. You only have to take one look at me to realize that Samia must be a great cook. But what was being observed here was more than his mom's culinary skills. Waleed just delighted and appreciated things in life. Big and little. He enjoyed the smooth taste of a hearty Merlot, the sun on his face at the beach, a sunset, an orchestral passage, a bowl of Ben and Jerry's ice cream or a game of Nintendo. Wherever he was, that became the best place in the world to be and he took advantage of every opportunity. WHOLe 5) Find the humor and don't take life too seriously. 6) Take time to appreciate all things in life (little and big). 7) Clown around. 8) Make any place you are the best place to be. 9) The world has many treasures to offer make time to explore and enjoy. Summary From my perspective Waleed at just 34 had lived more than many of us may live in an entire lifetime Let me recap the tenants to the Waleed Handbook On Life 1) "The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all" (Jawaharlal Nejru) 2) You have to take a risk now and then to grow. 3) Balance your time between business and your relationships. 4) Understand that relationships must be continually maintained and nurtured. 5) Find the humor and don't take life too seriously. 6) Take time to appreciate all things in life (little and big). 7) Clown around. 8) Make any place you are the best place to be. 9) The world has many treasures to offer make time to explore and enjoy. Finally an empirical observations: 10) You never really know when the Lord will call. So what now? Waleed was the type of person that was inflappable and could always seem to find a silver lining in any situation. Given recent events it is hard to conceive of a silver lining. But if we use tenants from Waleed Handbook on Life as a opportunity to assess our own lives and make improvement on an individual basis. Then collectively we can make a significant impact God Speed Waleed. You will be missed. |
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