Commaleta Singleton
Words can’t begin to express how shocked and disheartened I was to receive the news about James only on yesterday. The news was quite unbearable for me, so I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for his loved ones. He was a colleague for many years at the Professional Standards Commission, whom I befriended and spent many days sharing knowledge of our trade, exchanging jokes to help chisel through the tension of the work day, and spent many long evenings working to extinguish mild and severe job related forest fires. We shared an adjacent cubical space for years but it wasn’t until I neared my career transition that he opened up more to me and we were able to share on a more profound level. He was such a talented and skilled individual with a heart of kindness and consideration behind an outer shell packaged in steel.
I’ll never forget our last coding pow-wow in Panera Bread which was James' idea (my first time going and I have loved that atmosphere ever since…). It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to share time and space with him outside the office. The productivity of our work and friendship was quite rewarding. My memories of James, will serve as a consistent reminder of the importance of patience, kindness, understanding, preparedness and friendship. I am honored to have known him, to have worked with him, and to have shared a fraction of his life with all of you. To his family, my deepest sympathy...so sorry to have missed his home going... and to James, you hold a special place in my heart and will always be remembered…
May you have a peaceful rest and journey my friend…
