David and I had a cup of coffee together last November. My Text messages tell me that it was November the 11th. We spent an hour or so together. I think Zoe was arriving for some pre-wedding stuff and he left our coffee to pick her up. I was getting ready to open a coaching business and had reached out to David for advice, council, ideas and all the great stuff David brings wherever he goes. Our conversation moved in various directions, but one of the things I enjoyed most was learning about the early days of David’s career and about some of the truly novel ideas he brought to that German company. I had never discussed David’s early career with him, and I found that fascinating. Naturally, and I know everyone shares a similar sentiment, I never dreamed it would be the last time I would see him.

I want to mention that, and this may seem like a small thing, I loved David’s warm, inviting, disarming, sometime mischievous but always welcoming smile. There is something about his smile that communicates multiple things at once. When I think of David I think of that smile.