December 30th, 2011 Beth Krodel
We said goodbye to our good friend Java this week. He died Monday at home surrounded by family. He would have been 14 in January.
For more than 10 years, Java came to the Insight Designs office every day, taking his job as spirit lifter and security director very seriously. He barked at scores of delivery men and window washers, greeted hundreds of clients, and entertained everyone on staff.
He’s been the Insight Designs mascot since the beginning, gracing all of our holiday cards, having a bio on our website, and of course being the star of our gum packs this year. He took part in staff retreats and was always willing to help, even wearing a web cam during one of our holiday parties. He played endless hours of tug-of-war with Clint and Keith. He licked clean countless post-lunch tupperwares. He almost chased a tennis ball out of our third-floor window when John was playing catch with him. He went hiking with Monica near Leadville, got lost and ended up spending a day at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Once, he ate 5 pounds of uncooked pasta and then unloaded all of it on the sidewalk in front of Pasta Jay’s on his way into the office, after which he earned the nickname Pasta Java.
Outside of work, he enjoyed chasing squirrels, fetching tennis balls, barking at deer and just being outside. He spent most of his free time with Beth, running countless miles, hiking 14ers and snowboarding down Loveland Pass.
He cheated death twice – once in 2002 when he was hit by a car and again in November 2007 when he was diagnosed with cancer, a mast cell tumor in his lower abdomen. At the time, the surgeons at CSU said he might only have 2-3 weeks to live if they didn’t remove the mass immediately. But removing the mass also meant removing one of his hind legs, so we opted out of the surgery. He exceeded their expectations 100-fold, living another 4 happy, active years.
Java truly was a miracle dog. He is already sorely missed, especially by me.
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So excited about the launch of The HUNT New York City!
