It's been a bit of a bleak week for the last seven days. One week ago, a friend of mine was killed in a violent car crash on Highway 50 westbound near Bradshaw Road.
Derrick wasn't a perfect man...none of us are perfect, obviously. But Derrick was always striving to better himself and also to make the world a better place.
I feel very blessed to have been a part of his life, but I'm not gonna lie - sometimes Derrick could really frustrate me.
I met Derrick in the halls at work when I first started working at the California State Controller. He was soooo friendly...loud and ALWAYS smiling when he was walking the halls. He always made it a point to say hi and stop and talk about anything that popped into his mind.
He transferred to the Intake unit where I was the lead and I had the privilege and pain of training him and reviewing his work. Derrick was NOT detail oriented. Which, if you know me, you know that drives me crazy. Especially with the type of work the Intake unit does. Derrick knew he drove me crazy and when I would talk to him about his mistakes, he just would laugh it off and say "It is what it is" which would infuriate me even more.
How I HATED that saying! But he said it a lot and pretty soon, I found myself saying it too. Thanks a lot Derrick. :-)
Derrick wasn't cut out for minutiae. What he was cut out for, being a former used-car salesman, was TALKING! He became a union steward because he felt he was mistreated in his first unit (not Intake) and he simply was not going to take it.
He educated himself as to his rights and options and then found his calling sharing the information with others.
He was so proud of his family. His now grown children are all complete success stories. His oldest son is an officer in the military who flies planes. His oldest daughter has obtained her masters and got married just weeks ago. Derrick was so happy to be flying to Mississippi for the wedding. His youngest daughter is now following in her sibling's footsteps and beginning her own collegiate journey.
His children were so important to him. He helped to pass a childcare bill through the California Senate by speaking at committee hearings and telling his own stories about being a single parent and how important have access to child care was to his own family.
He recently moved his mother out from his hometown of Chicago where he grew up in the mean streets. She was getting older and her health was not so good and he wanted to take care of her. Like anytime a parent moves in with an adult child, it was not an easy thing. He struggled. He admitted that he was not as patient and respectful with her as he should be. He sought the guidance of his pastor to help him be a better son.
It was too hard for them...she bought a train ticket back to Chicago for Saturday, June 13th. He was killed on Monday, June 8th.
God works in mysterious ways. Derrick had lived in California for about 5 years with very few visits to Chicago. He loved California! He told me his favorite thing was being able to wear shorts everyday. And he did. As much as possible.
If Derrick hadn't moved his mother out here for those few contentious months, they would not have have had that time together.
Rest in Peace Derrick.
You are loved. You made this world a better place. You will be missed.
xoxo
