A Gentleman

MW was one of the assistant directors at the council. In appearance he was the archetypal civil servant, even being known to wear a trilby when rain threatened. At work, he was calm, wise and knowledgeable, and paid great attention to detail, an important factor when ensuring the right decision is made. If people were upset, he would always find a way out (I know this from when I got very angry with the director, a few months back). He was told to fire someone several years ago, and, I am told, he did it with tears in his eyes. Councillors listened to his explanations of issues they had to make decisions upon.
Out of work he was full of joie de vivre and always had an amusing tale to tell. Only a few months ago, Mel and I were happily chatting to him on a pub terrace overlooking the seafront.
For some months he has been off sick, it is rumoured with "stress". No-one made any announcements. Recently, it was rumoured that he wasnt coming back(a rumour backed up by another, that another assistant director would be moving into his office).
The news broke this morning. Last night, his wife left him alone for a short while. He took the opportunity to jump off the nearby railway viaduct .
He brightened the lives of more people than he would have dared to imagine. There are a lot of tears out there.