Rich Shipton was, and I mean this, a man like no other. Rich was kind and loving. He was passionate and unwaveringly patient. He was SO smart that it scared me sometimes, seeing simple resolution in things that seemed overwhelmingly complex to me. Rich was also funny, and I mean really funny. His self deprecating jokes and dry sense of humour made him totally endearing; you couldn't help falling in love with Rich Shipton.
I stand today firm in the knowledge that Richs' passing has absolutely broken and shattered our community. The calls and messages that I've made and received in the past few days have felt like a nightmare that I can't wake up from, I'm struggling to bring myself to read or respond to half of them. We are all hurting deeply, and I know that a lot of us are distraught at the universe for allowing this man to be taken from us.
Thinking about Rich today is hard because all of my memories of him are filled with so much love and joy. I'll never forget the time we were running through London after a meeting to make our trains home, and Rich couldn't help but stop to donate money to a Rescue Dog Center who had a load of Labradors with them. 10 minutes of "dog cuddles" later and he'd missed the last train home, arriving back nearly 3 hours later than he should have been. That was just the angel that Rich was.
I want to take a moment on behalf of the Microsoft community to pass on our love and sympathy for Rich's family. I can't imagine the pain that Rich's wife, children & relatives are feeling right now. Shipton Family- I want you to know that there are quite literally hundreds of people thinking about you, and breaking their hearts for all of you. This is a loss like nothing we've ever felt. A lot of us are feeling like we want to help in any way possible; we are all here for you.
And to Rich, all I can say is that we miss you. It was a privilege to know you and to love you. We had big plans together, and I don't understand how I'm meant to just go on and do the days without you. I know you'd be telling me to get a grip right now, and you're absolutely right. You were always absolutely right.
We'll never stop sharing stories about you Rich. Sleep tight x