Honoring the Memory of Marc Orchant

The blogosphere community (and to a lesser degree the regulars here) lost a truly great man today. It is with great sadness that I write that tech blogger and friend Marc Orchant died at age 50 following complications from a massive heart attack. He was a loyal follower/commenter on this blog.

You probably don't know it, but Marc is someone who truly changed my life. I started reading his original blog - Marc's Outlook on Productivity - in 2003. I found his enthusiasm for David Allen's popular Getting Things Done methodology infectious. But there was more. Marc's blog piqued my curiosity about social media overall. This eventually led to life changing events - the start of this weblog, more media attention than I certainly deserve and, last but not least, a dream position at Edelman, a role I absolutely love.

Marc and I unfortunately never met face to face but we corresponded regularly via email, Skype Twitter and our blogs. He was a warm man who spent hours helping others, often without recognition. He had incredible patience and a love for all things geek. Marc inspired me and his memory will always continue to do so.

I take solace in the fact that in a way I was able to give back to Marc a tiny bit of what he gave me. Back in 2004 I played a role in helping Marc connect with Jason Calacanis. This lead to a position writing for Weblogs Inc. Marc mentioned the story here. He later went on to blog for ZDNet and more recently blognation.

The story is all indicative of the blogging ethos. We help each other. Many of us are stars but we like to pass the ball and create opportunities for others. Points don't matter. Assists do. The blogosphere is a global village and, unfortunately, Marc's untimely death is a reminder that we should always remain that way - even when we often disagree.

My thoughts and sympathies go out to Marc Orchant's family. I just hope they get one day to read all these posts and to feel the impact he had on many of our lives. Rest in peace, Marc Orchant. We will miss you.

Comments

[James Kendrick]

Marc was one of my dearest friends and I loved him like a brother. He and I have been close friends for a number of years and the world lost a great man today. My heart aches.

[Steven Mandzik]

Thank you for writing this and sorry to hear about your loss. I am relatively new to the open internet's blogosphere and your post is inspiring.

I have always felt the ethos that you expressed but never had it written out before me. I think I will take the following quote with me:

"...we like to pass the ball and create opportunities for others. Points don't matter. Assists do."

[Tarky7]

Hey Steve, I caught your twitter post about Marc Orchant's untimely death. The blogoshpere will be a little less generous without Marc's kind heart. I had never met him in person, but followed his work for a time.

Thank you for alerting me of his death, I will pause a moment in my work tonight and say a prayer into the ether.

Tarky7

[renata]

CareTALK will keep Marc in our prayers -- and his generosity of spirit as well as his insights will be missed.

[Yvonne DiVita]

What sadness there is in the blogosphere today. I did not know Marc, but read him occasionally (introduced here, I think). We members of this vast blogosphere community feel the loss, regardless of our connection. Those who came before... who were the first bloggers...are forever in our hearts and minds as we all learned so much from them. What a wonderful note here, Steve. Hugs to you.

[Joe Szabo]

Steve, really sorry for your loss.

Take comfort in knowing that the way Marc influenced you has greatly influenced me. And I am sure I'm not the only one.

[Paul Chaney]

I didn't hear the news until this morning. Marc blogged at WIN during the same time period as I. Though the only interaction I had with him was his offer to do a guest post on one of the blogs I authored there, I knew him by reputation.

I, too, share your sadness to the degree that I can. His wife and family are in my prayers. May Marc rest in peace.

[mARSHAL SANDLER]

Kind words can ease the pain, since death had no Dominion .

[Valeria Maltoni]

Very touching, Steve. There is also that other bonding thing at play -- that of being humans and sharing the same context, life. I never met Marc, I am getting to know him a little through all of you who have been writing about him and his own writing. Thoughts and prayers go to his family... as well, the best way to honor his memory is to continue his work of kindness and generosity.

[Aurelius Tjin]

I am sorry to hear about that Steve. Well, at least he left a legacy that'll always be remembered. It's only the physical body that dies but not the memory. May he rest in peace.

[Avinash]

Sorry to know about his death, Steve. I'm feeling sad after a year. I just visited his blog but couldn't stay longer than 2 or 3 minutes. I didn't know him, still feel sad. Probably a week ago I read a twit @ Twitter posted by you or some other person that Marc is sick and today reading about his death. Life suddenly seems too short.

May he rest in peace. Well wishes for his family.

[Drew]

Unlike the vast majority of of people connected with Marc, I never Twittered, Skyped, or chatted with him. I e-mailed him a very few times.

I met him in person on my second day on the job at ThinkFree (where Marc would soon come on board as an Advisor), and we continued to meet at tradeshows, company events, etc.

The fact that so many people who never actually met the man care so much, is a massive testimony to his character and his writing ability. In person Marc was simply great to be around. When Marc arrived, the laughs were louder, the smiles were bigger, the hugs were longer (he liked to hug), and in general he brought new inspired life to everyone around him.

I need to qualify the above statement "When Marc arrived"...Marc was never late, usually he was the one in lobby chatting with 4 people (one in person, 2 on his laptop and one on the phone) and amazingly able to end the conversations as you walked up.