From AFW Associate Executive Director Cheri Cimmarrusti
Josh and I have had an incredible journey over the past twenty years! From sitting at the auditorium table in the corner of my office and working for me for nine years, to becoming my boss for the last 11 years – it has been quite the ride. I could talk about his many accomplishments, but those speak for themselves. Here is a little bit about Josh – my friend, my colleague, my mentee, my mentor.
He was smart as a whip from the beginning, so to say I mentored him might be a stretch – but I’d like to think that over the years, I’ve given him a gem or two that helped him along. Josh had a conversation with Josh Faith, the father of our passenger Valicity, who had passed away. That conversation cemented his decision to stay on with AFW. From then on, I knew there was no stopping him.
We’ve had some fun times along the way. There may have already been a few bald jokes about Josh at a roast we had for him, but my favorite story about that is when my grandson, at the age of three, was climbing on his back, looking down at the top of his head and he said, “Look, mom! Josh doesn’t eat his vegetables!” – referring to an earlier conversation he had where he was told you will lose your hair if you don’t eat your vegetables. Another favorite story is when Josh handed, literally handed, a five-year-old a full five-gallon Sparkletts bottle and said, “Carry this out there into the other room.” As you can guess, that didn’t end well.
In 2007, when Jim Weaver retired and a new Executive Director was hired, Josh and I were the only ones who remained standing at the end of a difficult year. It was during that time that I learned to rely on Josh’s even-keel, his fortitude in standing up for yourself (it helped me do the same thing), and his ability to forge ahead during seemingly impossible days.
And then Alan Dias came on and steered our ship back on course. The decision to make Josh Executive Director when he stepped down was a no-brainer. Everyone saw that, and I was so proud of him. When he handled a tough interview by the board of directors, he did so without wilting and held his ground, proving what they already knew – he was up for the job.
Josh’s faith has often helped me through tough times, knowing I could count on his support and prayers. It comforted me at some very low points.
I remember when Josh put nachos in the toaster oven to heat (and not on the timer) and went back down the hall to take a phone call, resulting in a full-on fire – flames licking the walls and all. When he and I walked into that kitchen and saw those flames, “Not to worry-Josh” calmly walked over and deployed the fire-extinguisher, resulting in a powdery mess that I don’t know how to describe. And Josh’s auctioneering skills, his actor’s personality, his ability to know everyone in the room, and his charisma are a giant plus. Now, if only we could get him to remember what the last bid was, because going down $1,000.00 isn’t the way it’s supposed to work.
So… a little farewell to Josh. I will treasure the years we’ve had together—the ups and downs, the good and the bad. I will miss our Friday morning calls, I will miss your terrible dad jokes and our chats about the Cowboys and the Vikings and sports in general and about kids and life. But most of all, I will just miss you.
