David Roper
Hi there- this might seem out of the blue, but I was an acquaintance of Russ for several years and a fellow geek and am now a resident of Lehi.
A few nights ago I had a very strange and surreal dream and he was there, and I’ve been thinking about him all day.
I had the opportunity to first meet Russ as a student at Provo College. I had already been working in information technology and I think he recognized that a lot of his classes were a bit remedial to me- he allowed perhaps more flexibility than was fair to the others, but he always found a way to pull me in and have me participate in those classes. I never did graduate, with my career evolving the way that it was I was already working in the field and have been fortunate in my employment since our family moved to Utah.
I ended up working with him on the Dell project at Teleperformance (he was an instructor when I started, though I was in a training class led by the other trainer). Later, I realized how small a world we live in when I moved to Convergys to work on the NetApp project and was surprised to see him show up there.
Shortly before I left for another job I ended up sitting next to him. I’ll never forget a conversation he had with me after his desk was moved next to mine, he asked if I was ok to keep an eye on him and then let me know that he was diabetic. We already had a history by that time and as it turned out I was aware of the signs that indicated low blood glucose. We even went so far as to talk about how I had administered insulin injections to my mother, and so for as long as we sat next to one another I was glad to be there with him.
He and I joked, as guys in the workplace often do, about the silliness involved with being a husband and father, and I’ll never forget some of the jibes he and I exchanged.. one time he asked about what I would be if I had been born a woman (as if to ask if I would have a career or a trade) my answer without hesitating was, “self-satisfied,” and he laughed with that sharp chuckle of his and cracked up so hard that I was almost worried about him. He always had a kind of silliness and warmth about him that never had me doubting his sincerity with anything, and I was happy to have that experience and feel for that moment that I was able to amuse him enough to have kept smiling throughout the day- at least as much as I know his stories and candor did the same to me.
A few nights ago I had a very strange and surreal dream and he was there, and I’ve been thinking about him all day.
Just one of those people that seems to have the ability to bless the lives of others, with a countenance that just made life a bit more pleasant with every interaction.
Seeing his obit is kind of a surprise and it hurts my heart a little, but by way of my faith (which he helped strengthen during some of the most trying times in my life), I feel fortunate to believe what I do about our life here on Earth. Perhaps when my own time comes he’ll be there with a handful of others that I’ve come to know, love, and miss when they’re gone- and he’ll share a story or two that will help me keep things in perspective.
