Member-only story
Mortality
The sudden realization of life & death comes home
A coworker died on the way to work last Wednesday morning. June 24, 2026.
He was 42 years old. He had just celebrated his birthday a week before.
Because of my position with the company, I’m the person who got the call. His wife had called an hour before, looking for him because she couldn’t get an answer by calling and texting his cell phone.
Then, almost an hour later, she called back, crying.
He was dead.
On his way to work, he had started having trouble breathing and pulled off the road. He dialed 911, and within minutes of the police officer reaching him, he was gone.
Getting all the information was difficult. I’m still not certain that I know it all correctly.
His wife is a grieving widow with two children ages 8 & 10. She can barely remember who she is, let alone how her husband died.
Tomorrow, his widow will come to the office to pick up some paperwork and to thank the owners for their generous donations.
You already guessed, I’m sure, he did not have a life insurance policy.
This man was young. He had multiple health issues, though. It was because I kept poking at him to get checked…
