vaes9

Requiescat in Pace

7:15 am PHT

 Homer Supe: 1986–2013

“Wala na si Homer.” Those were the first words our manager said when he held a special section meeting last November 15. I initially didn’t comprehend what he meant until my female teammate began crying and I was then taken aback with the sudden realization that we would never see Homer again. About a week before, Homer had taken a medical leave of absence and I didn’t think much of it. I never realized that Homer’s condition was quite severe.

Homer joined the company in 2008 and I’ve only really gotten to know him when I joined his team in 2011. He was one of the liveliest people on the team mostly populated by introverts. As a colleague stated, there was never a dull moment with him around because he would always steer the conversation to absurd topics. In the company, he was known as a street dancer and usually performed together with the other members of the company’s Dance Club during company events.

While he was known to be a jolly fellow, Homer took his project tasks seriously. Our team had depended on him for facilitating project deliverables and in technical roles, I’ve observed him concentrate on difficult tasks. I’ve heard that he had also been a very responsible brother to his three younger brothers, a role he took when their parents passed away. This responsible side of him is actually a surprise when you see how messy his desk looked being covered with numerous pieces of paper and empty Coke Zero cans, his favorite drink.

When I went to his wake two days after his death, the experience of seeing him lying peacefully was surreal. Homer was the closest person I’ve known to pass away. I sadly realized then that this will eventually become a normal occurrence moving forward.

It has been a month since Homer’s death. While our team has pretty much adjusted and moved on, we still remember his jolly side by leaving a couple of Coke Zero cans on his now-clean desk.

Filed under

Add your comment | No comments yet

Comments

[an error occurred while processing this directive]