It’s no surprise that half a dozen people sent me a link the Matt Richtel’s New York Times Article (login required) about the stresses of blogging and the toll it takes on one’s health. To his credit, Matt did attempt to reach me, however phone tag and deadlines precluded our having a discussion […]

Getting Things Done was Marc Orchant’s passion.  Exceeded only by his love for his family and his sheer joy in teaching others.  Editing a blog focused on becoming the repository for all GTD knowledge and making it the defacto home for the GTD community on line was a dream come true for Marc.  Thus, it […]

For those of you that are friends of Marc I was just informed that a local New Mexico publication, Albuquerque Arts, has published and posted a tribute to Marc Orchant. Here’s the link.
Having traveled with Marc quite extensively in the previous two years, it turns out that I have accumulated a pretty reasonable number […]

Recently, a number of folks have written me asking whether or not Sam Sethi, former CEO of Blognation, had ever made good on his promise (and contract) to pay me or any of the other bloggers that spent several months of their lives supposedly in his employ writing for his start-up.
Those of you familiar with […]

Update:6:00PM Mountain Time, December 12th, 2007

The Services commemorating the life of Marc Orchant where held today. It was a somber affair not a dry eye in the house. There were hundreds of people attending, overflowing the parking lot and the fixed seating. A number of people spoke: Marc’s daughter, Rebecca, gave an incredibly moving eulogy with remarkable composure. Marc, I am certain, was very proud.

I also spoke. I wanted to share the words I read to share my memories of Marc and the Friend who has left me behind. Be gentle; my heart is on my sleeve with this one.

Eulogy : Farewell, Marc.
Good morning. As you may have heard, Marc used to say that I had my own time zone.

I’ve even heard that I’ll be late to my own memorial service so I’m sure Marc isn’t the least but surprised that I’m late today…

I have to tell you; I can’t imagine how Sue and Rebecca and Jason must feel right now. Marc and I were friends for only a short time - just about two years - and yet I myself feel so lost without him.

Sue sent me a text message this morning at 4AM. She told me to get some sleep. But I didn’t. I was afraid that if I fell asleep I’d be late (or even later than I already am). You see when Marc and I traveled on business he’d be my alarm clock. If I didn’t answer the phone he’d come and get me. He’d knock softly on the door; if I didn’t stir, he’d open it and in that soft voice I’m sure you all remember he’d say,

“Time to get going, Pal. We don’t want to be late.”

I’m sure he knew we were going to be late. I am always late. Of course you all know that Marc was always on time. Always. Yet in spite of this flaw of mine, Marc never once - never once lost patience with me. I don’t really know why. I don’t know what I did so right to have someone so spectacular take such a liking to me that he’d overlook a characteristic so contradictory to his own nature.

His patience never waned although he had every right to be annoyed. Typically I’d rush down to the hotel lobby and Marc would be sitting there, waiting patiently. He’d smile his broad smile, ask me if I was ready, and head for the door, his broad strides forcing me to take two steps for every one of his.

I met Marc when he joined Foldera. For me, he was the silver lining in what ended up being an otherwise bad experience. The day we met we simply clicked and that bond grew as we worked together, planned together, shared our various life experiences with one another, and grew closer and closer as time passed.

When we both left Foldera (resigning within two weeks of one another) we knew that we wanted to work together again as soon as possible. We got that chance this fall when I joined a new blog network and immediately recommended Marc as co-editor.

Although that experience didn’t quite work out as planned as you may have read on my blog- it nevertheless gave Marc and I the chance to attend another couple of events together - the highlight of which was live-blogging DEMO Fall, tag team style.
At the time of his passing, Marc and I had become so close that we spoke to each other every day. Using our respective strengths to help one another to become more successful, working through problems, making future plans and - of course - telling stories. Marc loved the title Chief Storyteller - for that’s what Marc is.

Because we spoke every day, I can tell you a few things that you might not know. Marc was just about to begin a new chapter of his career with the David Allen company. If you knew Marc at all, you knew of his passion for the Getting Things Done life-management strategy of which he was a “black belt” practitioner.

What you may not know is that Getting Things Done is the 7 Habits of tomorrow. I am convinced it is the next big thing in time management strategies.

In life there are those rare instances where all the preparation you’ve done before, all the experience you’ve accumulated, all your stored knowledge and your body of prior work intersect with an exploding trend. When this happens you get famous. You get rich. You get everything you ever wanted.

I believe with all my heart that Marc was at the precipice of just such a moment and I told him so on more than one occasion. He was so excited to finally be working with David Allen - “his guru” - the really cool thing is the David and all the executives at David’s company were just as excited to be working with Marc.

In fact, anyone that had the chance to work with Marc was excited about it. Such is Marc’s professionalism, his ethics, his obvious skills, his diplomacy and his energy that he added enormously to every single thing he touched both professionally and personally.

And anyone — and I really mean anyone — benefitted from knowing Marc. In fact, I really don’t know what I’m going to do without this man that had in such a short time become my closest and most influential friend.

When Marc was struck ill I was torn between the desire to be there at his bedside and the understanding that my presence there might distract from the things that needed to be done. Sue is such a gracious hostess that I was afraid she might be worried about me when she needed to worry about Marc and herself.

I felt I’d be more useful as a source of news and information - both because I know that’s what Marc would have done for me and because I knew that once the community learned what had happened they would be clamoring for updates about their friend. I didn’t want the Orchant Family to have to be fielding hundreds of calls so I centralized the news on a new blog I’d created with pages specifically devoted to providing updates and information about Marc’s condition.

It is testimony to just how special Marc is that there are hundreds upon hundreds of comments across the blog I created and the one where I first posted the news of Marc’s emergency. If you haven’t done so, you really should take a moment when you have some quiet time and take a look at this page. Marc was loved by so many people. he touched the lives of people he had never even met. He was respected by even the most elite members of the technology community and he gave of himself freely, frequently and with pleasure.

When Sue called me to give me the devastating news that Marc was not going to recover I was again torn about going to be at his bedside for those last hours. I had just been with Marc and his family right before Thanksgiving, staying at their home for a few days. We did a presentation, attended an awards banquet, saw two movies, played with many gadgets, laughed, and of course, Marc told stories…

When they dropped me off at the airport Marc gave me one of his typical great bear hugs. “Fly Safe, Pal” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”

I didn’t want the last time I saw Marc to be in a hospital bed surrounded by machines. I feel that he wasn’t there anymore anyway. I believe that our bodies are simply containers for our souls and when our time here ends our souls leave them behind.

Marc and I were even talking about something similar during my visit. I had noted that all the greatest guitar players seem to pass away just as they reached the peak of their skills. I contended that they passed because they were being drafted for a bigger gig. Only the best for the “A” team upstairs I said only half joking. Marc didn’t disagree.

I guess that someone with a lot more on his schedule needed an expert on Getting Things Done and so he called for the best there was…

I only wish he could have waited longer. Marc, my friend; thank you for all the good you brought into my life. Thank you for the great advice and for the never ending enthusiasm. Thank you for the kindness and the early morning and late evening talks. Thank you for making me a better writer and a more complete human being. Thank you for your stories and your wisdom and your love. But most of all, Thank you for being you. I will miss you always but never, ever forget you.

Love Is Stronger Than Death Lyrics
The The, Matt Johnson

Me & my friend were walking
In the cold light of mourning.
Tears may blind the eyes but the soul is not deceived
In this world even winter isn’t what it seems.

Here come the blue skies Here comes springtime.
When the rivers run high & the tears run dry.
When everything that dies.
Shall rise.

LoveLoveLove is stronger than death.
LoveLoveLove is stronger than death.

In our lives we hunger for those we cannot touch.
All the thoughts unuttered & all the feelings unexpressed
Play upon our hearts and souls and won’t ever let us rest
But, awoken by grief, our spirits speak
“How could you believe that the life within the seed
that grew arms that reached
And a heart that beat.
And lips that smiled
And eyes that cried.
Could ever die?”

Here come the blue skies Here comes springtime.
When the rivers run high & the tears run dry.
When everything that dies.
Shall rise.

Because Love is stronger than death.

As Published in the Albuquerque Journal
ORCHANT — Marc Sherman Orchant, 50, passed away suddenly Sunday, December 9, 2007. He was born on July 30, 1957 in Freeport, NY to Norman and Glenda Orchant. Marc attended Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communication, where he majored in Linguistics and Graphic Design. It was there he […]

I received the news around 3PM today that my closest friend, business associate, co-conspirator, sometime mentor, sometime
protege and full time confidante had passed away a week after suffering a massive heart attack at his home in New Mexico. He was 50 years old.Marc is survived by his wife, Sue, his daughter, Rebecca and his son, Jason. They are wonderful people. As much as I hurt for losing my friend, I hurt too for Marc’s family. Marc was a great father, a loyal friend and clearly an amazing husband. For once I seem to be at a loss for words as I try to express my grief and my sympathy for those people closest to Marc; to his loved ones left behind.

From the huge outpouring of love that we’ve seen from the technology community over the past week it is clearly evident just how special a person Marc Orchant was. Nearly everyone whose life he touched remembers Marc with a smile. His kind ways, encouraging words and boundless enthusiasm had a positive impact upon innumerable people. Marc was always the first to lend a hand or volunteer for the hardest job.

He lent an ear to so many people and gave of his time and experience freely where many would have demanded payment for such valuable insight and advice. I cannot count the number of times that Marc listened to problems and offered solutions to me and so many others.

A wonderful orator, an excellent teacher and a productivity expert without peer, perhaps nothing says more about Marc than this; in all the times we attended events, went to meetings, flew across oceans, or spoke on the phone, this man, who was never even 30 seconds late for anything, ever lost patience with me; a person he occasionally described as “having his own time zone”. Thinking back on that now, I think that small thing defines the kind of person Marc Orchant was and the depth of his friendship.

Marc “got” me. Marc “got” everyone. His sparkling wit, warm smile, easygoing way and keen intellect will be missed in so many places. I don’t know of anyone that knew Marc who didn’t like and respect him. He was a credit to our industry, an incredible friend and an asset that the world will sorely miss.

I can’t believe my time with Marc on this earth has come to so abrupt an end. I don’t know how I’ll ever fill the void left by the passing of my friend. I am sure that I echo the thoughts of the countless people that Marc touched in his time with us when I say that I’ll miss him always, but forget him never.

Rest In Peace, Marc. So Long and God Speed.

If You Would Like to Donate to Help Marc’s Family Through this Difficult Time, You Can Do So Here:

This page is dedicated to providing information and updates concerning the status of my good friend and colleague, Marc Orchant.
As you know, Marc suffered a massive cardiac infarction on Sunday morning, December 2nd 2007. My original post is copied below.
Updates will be added to this page in reverse chronological order with the must current […]