About two dozen of my current and former coworkers gathered earlier this year to celebrate the life of Keitha, our coworker and friend who unexpectedly left this world as we know it in December. There were stories, lots of laughter and a few tears – just like in any family.
Yes, I said family … as in our work family. It was tough. She was the fourth of our bunch to pass during 2024 … following Patty, Dorothy and Greg. While the latter three hadn’t been with the company for a while, they were still considered part of the work family and as such, their passings left voids.
Because we often spend more time with our coworkers than our actual families, they really do become our second family, for better or worse. We don’t choose our workmates, just like we don’t choose our families.
And just like our real families, our work family sees us both at our best and at our worst – when we’re passionate about something and doing some of our best work, and when we’re so burned out that we’re just dialing it in. Over time, they become privy not only to our habits and idiosyncrasies, but also to our spouses, kids, pets and even our individual aches and pains.
For me specifically, my work family was created in January 1989 when I first joined Polk County Publishing Company. Many of us – myself included – have had multiple stints with the company, for a variety of reasons.
One former coworker and longtime friend has even been known to compare it to the Hotel California … “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” We laugh, but there’s a lot of truth to it. I don’t know if it’s a case of ink running through our veins, seeing newsprint in our dreams, a desire to keep the community informed, or just the need to be part of a team.
We’ve lost many over the years – Don in 1994, Laura in 2000, Ken in 2004, Gordon in 2012, Adrian and Van in 2014, Jenny in 2017, Georgia in 2020 and the aforementioned four we lost in 2024.
Though their names are no longer on the masthead, they will never be forgotten. They remain with us through the stories, memories and laughs – as well as the gifts they gave us and things they taught us.
