Remembering Erik Rothwell
Today everyone at Touch Support mourns the loss of Erik Rothwell.
Erik brought a positive attitude to the office each day and was always eager to collaborate, spreading knowledge among staff while championing new technologies. He was a great conversationalist and helped countless customers, had an unwavering passion for his work, and regularly went out of his way to make sure our customers were always taken care of.
Erik started at Touch Support as a support technician, mainly helping end-users find solutions to their problems with web hosting accounts. As time went on, he transitioned into a lead system administration role and began to leverage his intimate system knowledge in the development world.
He was an incredibly talented UNIX systems administrator and software developer, consistently sharing new ideas and different viewpoints. His ability to understand and develop for a multitude of system platforms and programming languages was truly amazing. But even more unique, he was able to communicate and troubleshoot effectively with all staff members, regardless of their technical background or training. He was always helpful, attentive and possessed an incredible understanding of every project and technology for which he was a part.
Most recently, he undertook a major project – working countless hours to rebuild Touch Support’s server administration software to become more extensive, flexible and secure.
Erik was not just a colleague, but a friend to many both inside and outside of work. During his tenure with the company he excelled at both the technical aspect of his career and the inter-personal relationships he held with his colleagues.
Many coworkers were blessed to spend time with Erik over the summer when he drove over nine hours to attend a baseball game in Chicago, IL. In a testament to his determination, he completed the entire trip without air conditioning during the warmest month of the year. Windows down, bugs and rain flying in – all to connect with others and share funny stories. Erik possessed an unparalleled ability to use his positive personality to ensure everyone around him felt at ease.
When he wasn’t at the office he spent a lot of time studying epistemology, metaphysics, logic, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, and political economy.
Erik will be truly missed by every person he interacted with and leaves behind a lasting impression on us all with regard to the quality and drive that most of us could only one day hope to achieve. He was one of the kindest individuals to have worked alongside us. Our company and the world will not be the same in his absence.