Among the millions of people who have shuffled off their mortal coil in the last few months were two people who I knew: Marissa Irwin and Guy Mariner Tucker.

I spent a lot of time working with the above sentence. It seems so inadequate to just say 'I knew them' when their passing has been - and is - profoundly disturbing to me.

I went to college with Marissa, back in the day. We hadn't really been in touch since, though I kept up with news of her - and, apparently, she with me - through a mutual friend. I even wrote a long personal essay in which she appeared, but I never showed it to her, though I did finally see her again at our twentieth college reunion. We promised to get back in touch.

Then I read the notice in our alumni magazine that she had died.

Guess I'll never get to show her that essay.

(More about Tucker shortly)