Jon loved sharp wit, horrendous puns, and intellectual brain teasers. He was amazing with word games. He’d stroll by the desk at lunch time, and utter an acronym. Your job, should you choose to accept it, was to translate the acronym. For example, FYF stood for “Feed your face” and SGF, a more difficult one, stood for “Sample the Gourmet Fare”… If your guess was right, it was time for a giggle and a walk to the cafeteria…

Ah, the Philip Morris Manufacturing Center cafeteria… it was one of the two places where I learned more about life and living from Jon Halle than at any university. We’d sit and talk work and intersperse it with bad jokes, worse puns, and the occasional update on what brother Stan was up to. Lots was said in the cafeteria, but it was loud, crowded, and some topics just didn’t do well in that environment… but Jon had a solution for that problem too.

Unless it was hammering down hailstones or deluging buckets of rain, we would always go for a walk after lunch. It was preventative healthcare, it was a digestive aid, it was fresh air, it was isolation from the chaos and noise of the manufacturing bays… it was a perfect time to talk. It was on those countless laps of the enormous factory parking lots where I learned many important lifelong lessons… walking with Jon Halle. I learned about people and personalities, work and work strategies, investments and opportunities, negotiation and negotiation strategies, and always interspersed with witty word plays, bad jokes, and cringe-inducing puns.

Jon’s love for fun matched his sharp intellect. He had a gift for making predictions based on available information. One thing I remember about walking with Jon Halle was The Daily Bet. As we navigated the sidewalk leading to the parking lots, Jon would make note of the temperature, humidity, and wind speed, then ask the same question each day: “OK, where will be be when it happens?” Then each person in the walking group would offer up a location along the path of the parking lot perimeter, while Jon chuckled evilly.

The Daily Bet, and “It” was an event, whose conditions were met when I managed to visibly sweat through my work shirt during the parking lot walk. I swear, it’s true. I’ve always been the first person in a room to sweat. Call it a curse, call it a gift, I’d always be first in a group to sweat anywhere, and on most Virginia spring and summer days, the Philip Morris Pit Stain Gambling Pool had betting sessions. Thing is, Jon’s guess usually would be within 20 feet of where it happened. The man had skills. Even thinking nervous thoughts couldn’t throw him off!

Jon was a great mentor and a legendary friend. He let me into his life, and let me share time with his family and see his absolute love for his wife and growing family. I remember coming to Jon’s Richmond home to hang wallpaper in the kitchen, and in a room for a baby on the way. Jon loved life, celebrated family, and did all he could to help others around him, and I saw in him a role model who was my own age, but much wiser in years. Every time I emulated him, my life improved.

The world grew sadder and smaller the day Jon left us without warning, and I still mourn his absence. However, I celebrate seeing the amazing kids he and Lisa raised becoming brilliant and successful adults, and the love and intelligence and kindness that characterizes the Halles I’ve known. Jon is gone from us, but I will always keep, use, and remember the many incredible life lessons I learned, working and walking with Jon Halle…