It’s with a heavy heart that we want to share the news of the passing of one of our dear friends and inspiration to many, Roger Fransecky. He passed away last Friday.
Roger was the founder and CEO of The Apogee Group, a global management, consulting and leadership development organization which he founded in 1995.
I had the pleasure to get to know Roger over the last several years, and each time I had the chance to visit with him I would learn something new. I learned about how I could not just get through life, but need to fully embrace it and take advantage of the possibilities we are given every day. Roger taught me, and countless others, how to deliberately plan for the life we wanted to live, so that in the end we would leave behind a life and a legacy that would last far beyond our time here on earth. I know I speak for so many others when I say that Roger’s legacy will indeed live on forever, as he changed countless people for the better.
To remember Roger, we wanted to share the video of the message he delivered at Big Omaha 2010 and his guest post on entrepreneurship.
Thanks to our sponsor
Guest post: “Roger Fransecky shares thoughts on entrepreneurship and Big Omaha“
Lastly, shortly after the death of his wife Nancy in 2008, Roger penned an article titled “The Last Time“ in which he talked about the idea of embracing each day and every moment as if it’s the last. I think far too often we get in the routine of the day to day activity that we miss this. There were a few paragraphs that have stayed with me over time, and I wanted to leave you with these challenges, as I know it’s these ideas that Roger would want us to wrestle with and strive to embody as we travel along life’s journey.
One of Nancy’s favorite books was The Last Time. The book’s simple premise was never more prescient or compelling than now. We never know when it’s the last time … the last ride without training wheels, the last salute before boarding the plane, the last breathtaking sunrise, the last kiss in the morning as you part.
I “feel” Nancy editing me again, and she was my best editor in all things. It’s important to take something from this terrifying loss: make every moment count. Do what really matters to you. Don’t waste a second with the wrong person, dream, hopes, job, missed birthdays or lost, wasted hours.
You never know when that is the last time. Stay conscious and present in your life. Savor your days and moments. I remember both.
Goodbye Roger. We’ll miss you, but will do our very best to savor our days and moments.
