We Are Your Legacy

by Katie Osborn

Even though he passed away on September 11, it wasn’t until today, and by attending the Celebration of the Life of Luke Haseloff that I was finally able to put into words how he made an impact on me and in the lives of everyone he encountered.

Truth be told, there are few people that come into our lives with such an open heart and open mind. That openness can be intimidating and scary to some, but when it arrives with the smile, kindness, and genuine love that which Luke possessed, it felt easy to accept.

I met Luke in 2007 and was immediately drawn to his kindness, openness, and love for life. His energy was contagious and I was incredibly attracted to his radiance. He was a kind soul, gentle spirit and thoughtful guide. He had your best interests at heart and was genuinely interested in connecting deeply with you. Keep in mind that some people would take issue with him being ‘genuinely interested in connecting deeply’ with everyone he met, so it was easy for others to blow him off as disingenuous, but that was definitely NOT Luke. His concern for your success, and how he could assist in helping you get there was one of his great gifts. And this is why 500+ people always showed up for his events, including today.

Today’s event included 10 people that spoke about him in various aspects of his life, an amazing video of photos from birth until now and a networking event with name tags, of course, for people to come together and connect.

I truly believe that this is exactly how he would have wanted it. An incredibly ‘Big-Ass funeral’ (as he put it), for the potential for connections and the birth of new relationships. There were so many people there tonight that have that potential. Luke would have been so proud.

Luke, you left us too early. You will be deeply missed, and but as your wife Nicole put it so graciously, with such an unexpected and early death, these connections are her inheritance. We are your legacy. Finally, I know you would have been so happy with all the people I reconnected with tonight knowing that you were the person that brought us together.

With love for you always,
Katie