Dearest Rick and his loved ones,

It seems unreal that I am writing this letter to you – Rick’s greatest treasures – and that Rick is not on the other end of this email to open it and read it. Condolences will not dull the pain you feel but know that his loss is felt by a great many and I count myself lucky to be one of the people that are grieving him. I would rather he be here, to give that genuine smile that lit up the space around him, but I feel lucky to have known him for the past 5 years and I am better for having known and loved him. It’s odd to say you love someone you work with, but your husband, your father, your grandfather, your friend was more than a co-worker – his subtle kind and quiet presence wormed into every heart he crossed paths with.

One of the first times I met Rick in person – I had been with the company several months (maybe 6 months) and we all flew out to Pasadena for an in-person meeting. I was so nervous. He was recording our “Why” videos and I was nervous being on camera. During the recording, I cried. I remember feeling embarrassed, struggling to reign in my emotions as I wanted to be professional and anxiety was rising inside of me that my vulnerability would change the way people saw me – maybe they would think I didn’t have what it took to be successful in my new role. I remember tearfully looking at him, mustering every fiber of my being to “get it together” and Rick knew – just as he always did – how to center me and direct the interview. He didn’t focus on the emotions – he remained calm, he smiled gently, and said “good, this is great and exactly what we want, let’s try again and can you focus more on….”. Now I forget what he redirected me to, but the kindness and space he held in that moment will never be forgotten. Following that vulnerable moment, he never changed how he interacted with me and he often guided me as I grew into new roles, took on more responsibilities, and tried to find my footing. He always did it in the same kind, subtle, and supportive way. Rick had a knack for guiding us – me and the team – without us even realizing he was guiding us. That’s a skill. That’s Rick. But it’s also innately who he was – he wasn’t trying to guide us, he was just being himself.

Over the years, Rick always surprised me by leaking out tid bits about his life – his loves (all of you), his passions (gymnastics, ballroom dancing, architecture, video, creating beauty in the world), he shared his pride (in the subtle way he does) about each of you and who you were in life (I recall the thoughtful poster in his office that his daughter spent time finding, or his stories about the beautiful women in his lives - free spirits and logical thinkers), the travels, the careers he had, and his dreams for his life that he had fulfilled. Come to think of it, Rick shared a lot about his dreams and as I look back now, I don’t recall dreams he hadn’t achieved – I think in his life he was so content with what he’d done, built, loved and fostered – his dreams were his reality. That’s something so special.

Some of my favorite moments with Rick where when we were teasing or laughing together – a smile and laugh from Rick somehow felt like a prize earned, it made every day better. Our on camera relationship evolved – I stopped crying and he started being more direct about how I could improve (speaking louder, slowing my pace, changing my seating position) and there were many hours spent together with his steadiness guiding us through recordings, often with Erin in some very uncomfortable position below the camera stopping and starting the teleprompter, and Justin standing by with audio. Those times were among my favorite, because Rick tried to always be so kind and gentle, and I would tease with him “just tell me it was awful, Rick” and he’d smile but not counter me – I’d crack up. We would banter like that for hours at a time during recordings – I still laugh at those memories and about the time he was trying to find the right words to describe someone that wouldn’t be the “best fit” for being on camera and he finally said “they aren’t camera friendly” – I lost it, Erin and I laughed for what felt like 5 minutes before responding “so they are not good to look at, huh?”. Rick smiled and didn’t counter me. I loved those moments. Rick’s humor and goodness and his gentle presence will forever remain in my heart, and I am better because I knew him.

There are so many memories of Rick that are filled with joy – bowling together and him CRUSHING it (even better when he was beating Yuri), him ballroom dancing with Katie (our CMO), many many creative meetings about how to create things together, many games we played and lost together…. It’s far too many memories to distill into words, but his touch will be forever on our lives and in my heart.

A thank you seems wrong for this time, but it’s the only things I keep coming back to. A thank you to Rick for being who he was in life, in leadership, in humanity. A thank you to all of you for sharing him with us – I know he didn’t need to work – but sharing him with us all at Nudj helped us be who we are as a company – founded in doing what’s right above all else. A thank you for his creativity which made everything more beautiful. A thank you for his friendship and mentorship as I am better and more than I was, because of him. A thank you for sharing his heart with us – I saw it most on the day he took me and a colleague of ours (Ashley) to tour the church he built. Hearing how he chose every part of the building – the intentionality, the creativity (shadows creating beauty and sound creating space), and the hard work and attention to detail… every moment of that day I felt like I was looking into his heart. The moment when he shared he built the church in hopes to someday marry his love there, and then sharing that he built that dream and that it was fulfilled – which began your beautiful family – I was astounded at how beautiful a sentiment and reality he had built. But that is Rick, he brings beauty and purpose to everything. He builds intentionally. I hope in this chapter you can find beauty amidst the grief and feel his steady intentionality all around you. Attached is one of my favorite pictures of Rick from that day at the Church.

And Rick – if you’re reading this from the beautiful sky above (I’m sure Hawaiian) – thank you. I will never forget you, we will never forget you. Thank for your love and friendship. I will see you in all the beauty every day.

Colleen