Last month I lost a mentor and friend. David Reene was an amazing human being who touched and improved the life of so many of us. This eulogy from his brother captures what a special person he was and how he exemplified and lived his life - full of gratitude. Mahatma Gandhi said 'my life is my message.' So too David's.....
The men of the Reene family have always been comfortable with business and finance, not so much with emotions and feelings. Yet David overcame that and focused on a higher calling of making the world a better place, choosing not to be self-absorbed as is so common in our culture today. As one of his colleagues stated David is the definition of emotional intelligence: self-aware, socially skilled, empathetic, motivating and a model of self-control.
He was constantly thanking the doctors, nurses, cleaning people, everyone - he wanted to be certain they knew how much he appreciated them. Every other word out of his mouth was "Thank you. Fantastic!" Given our slight resemblance, it was interesting to watch the nurses try and decide who was the patient given how strong David was during his fight. He kept his sense of humor and that infectious laugh until his final breath. He was also fiercely independent. One humorous incident was when a young resident physician asked David to memorize three words and repeat them several minutes later. David looked him straight in the eye and said: "Not going to happen!" Even in the midst of his fight, he kept a constant focus on others and particularly what was best for Inga. She was his constant companion for 390 days, 7X24, made sure nobody missed a beat, much less an appointment or a medication!
On the long car rides to Johns Hopkins, one topic that was sure to energize David was the work of PSI - impacting years of healthy life, branding and his beloved Sara. To his PSI colleagues, he asked that you carry on with the good work you are doing, "do more" to raise the bar in the not-for-profit sector, "doing effective things", "changing things at scale"! One of the few times I saw him tear up was when I reminded him of all the people he has impacted, his legacy at PSI, leaving the world a better place! David said he will be with you in spirit and is very thankful for the opportunities PSI provided him!
We often reference the glass as being half-empty or half-full. David's glass was 99.9% full for sure! He saw the best in everyone and appreciated all he was able to do in his life. As part of our last conversation, David shared that he feels fortunate, other cancer patients have it much worse than he did and he had nothing to complain about! That selfless soul again..
Finally, he asked that "we remember the good things" and strive to make the world a better place! As the cycle of life continues, the next generation of Reene men, my first grandson, was born 5 days after David passed. I am confident that current and future generations will benefit from David's wisdom. I am humbled and honored to be his brother. We love you and miss you David!
Jeff Reene
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