I have memories of Bruce to last a lifetime. He was a second dad and mentor to me through a very pivotal stage of mine (and Keeley's) life. I don't know anyone else who would willingly leave a job to join two teenagers on a crazy, unpredictable adventure (called Wild Friends) that changed all of our lives. But Bruce was the type of person to do just that. He was beyond enthusiastic from the first day Keeley and I told him about making and selling peanut butter. I know that if it wasn't for his excitement we wouldn't have dreamed as big and grown the company to where it is today.

I learned so much from Bruce. Here are a few things that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

1) There is always a way. Bruce never took no for an answer and when you're starting a company there are endless challenges that you come up against. Bruce approached these challenges with incessant positivity and confidence and we did always find a way. *For example, we never paid for our luggage that was always over 50 lbs ????)

2) So much of being successful is never giving up and putting in the hard, unglamorous work. I remember countless times in the first few years of the company when Keeley and I might have been complaining about something and Bruce would always say, 'would you rather be doing what you're doing now or be 80 years old and not able to do this.' He always had a way of putting whatever seemed hard at the time into perspective. He never stopped working and believing in what we were doing, so neither did we.

3) Bruce showed me what passion looked like. I've never met anyone else as passionate as him. When Bruce committed to something, he COMMITTED. Like dog-on-a-bone, unbreakable commitment. I've always been passionate about the products and brand we created but Bruce took that to a new level. He spoke about Wild Friends with so much pride and energy that he could convert anyone to becoming a Wild Friends believer. He was so proud of what we were building and his spirit is so much a part of the Wild Friends brand.

4) Don't forget to have fun. Bruce loved nothing more than making people laugh. He would go out of his way to get a smile or laugh out of anyone. Someone he knew or a stranger. He could make any situation fun. Whether that was at a boring trade show, during a layover, on a car ride or simply sitting on the couch chatting. Bruce was always looking for a way to bring humor into people's lives. He made the hard moments not as hard with a joke or impersonation that left us all laughing. I want to carry this with me as a reminder to look for the fun in situations where you might not see it.

Bruce was truly a one-of-a-kind human being. I know I'll never meet anyone else like him. Even though he's not with us physically, I know he'll always be with me (and all of us) in spirit. Because his spirit was just that big, joyful and impactful. I think about him everyday and have seen tigers everywhere - on cards, socks, photos, in books, in songs, and it reminds me that Tiger Tilly's spirit lives on. ???? ????