In memory of my friend Craig Warden
- Personal
- by Jacob Riggs
- 01-06-2020
My colleague and friend unexpectedly passed away last year and I wanted to share a few lasting words which I hope might venerate our friendship and pay tribute to his memory.
Craig Allen Warden
16 December 1970 — 13 April 2019
I’ve considered writing something for a long time, but my personal blog is hardly a podium for obituaries and mournful proclamations. Finding the right words has been difficult.
I met Craig whilst working at the Guardian newspaper. He was the Head of HR at the time and we met during the natural course of our employment. Working with Craig was always entertaining due to his eloquence. He was quick-witted, had a jovial personality, and always knew how to bring out the best in those he worked with.
He would always greet me with his signature “Hello matey!” in a skewed accent (which took me a while to place).
Our social relationship was never linear. More often than not we would end up in protracted conversations. Even impromptu corridor banter would at times overrun and command a fleeting wave or a witty one-liner adieu. I like to think this was testament to our discussion value, but looking back I think we just got along well. We always had to rush back to work to avoid being late, but every chat was refreshing and worthwhile.
I think about Craig a lot, and often find myself revisiting the moments we shared. This short blog post does the salient volume of his life little justice, but I find solace in knowing it might resonate with the people that were lucky enough to have known him, and maybe serve as insight to those that never had the chance.
See you in another life, matey.