Many years ago, I was the “Announcement Guy” along with Bob Schock, Mark Mansingh and many others at Heartland Community Church. That meant that I got up at the beginning of the service, welcomed everyone, and then gave some announcements… sometimes we had surprises, videos, special music… it really was a blast. The weird part was that I was known around town as Heartland’s Annoucement Guy - imagine when Bob and I had lunch!
One highlight of my time in this volunteer role was when Jeff Comment, who attended our church, was speaking. Jeff is best known by his corporate accomplishments, inluding being the CEO of Helzberg Diamonds, which is headquartered here in KC. In a sentence, Jeff was an absolute amazing man - who gave unselfishly to anyone he met. I was truly honored to introduce him one morning during a Sunday service.
The next week, I received a handwritten note from Jeff thanking me for the introduction, and he included a copy of a book he wrote - Mission in the Marketplace: Perspectives for Life and Work. Over the following months, I read his book, and it was a benchmark to me going through difficult times in my business with a large client who was unable to pay us. Its impact is still in me today, and if you’ve ever heard me speak publicly about the landscape industry, or my company, chances are you’ve heard my Jeff Comment story… that small things to you are huge to those around you. Jeff’s impact on me was instrumental, and unquantifiable.
I remember every time that I saw Jeff after that time, I thanked him profusely. Then, in 2005, I got the call from Bob Schock. Jeff and his wonderful wife Martha were dancing together, and he died. I was truly saddened that such a great man would no longer be able to have impact in so many people’s lives. I tried to rearrange my travel schedule to be at his services, but I couldn’t. Here is what Young Life Relationships Magazine had to say about Jeff:
Jeff Comment collapsed while dancing with his wife, Martha, and died on the evening of October 30. Chairman and CEO of Helzberg Diamonds at the time of his death, Comment was widely known in the Kansas City area (home to Helzberg Diamonds) and beyond as a man of faith who had a passion for giving to others.
While attending Comment’s memorial service, Young Life President Denny Rydberg was reminded of the impact Comment had on his family, his community and his industry. Comment, who in 1995 wrote Mission in the Marketplace: Perspectives for Life and Work, had “a passion for bridging his faith and the world. The marketplace really summarized who Jeff was,” Rydberg said.
In his quest to put the principles of his faith into practice, Comment personally reached out to hurting children. Each year for the past decade or so Comment played Santa to children in pediatric hospitals around the country. Comment co-authored a book with Warren Buffet from his experiences with suffering kids, titled Santa’s Gift: True Stories of Courage, Humor, Hope and Love.
Comment and his wife, Martha, first became involved with Young Life when they lived in Miami, Fla., and in addition to Comment’s service on the Young Life Board of Trustees, the couple continued their support for local Young Life when they moved to the greater Kansas City area. They were instrumental in founding and supporting urban Young Life in Kansas City. The Comments had been married 34 years at the time of his death.
It was at that time, that I decided I would try my best to ‘change’ the way I did things - to have a little bit of Jeff inside me. Bob and I speak about this often (which, by the way, we’ve been scheduled to have lunch every two weeks for the last 13 years… wow!).. and how Jeff’s legacy is in both of us as we tackle the business world - sometimes unsuccessfully - with Jeff’s inpact inside us.
I see Martha from time to time at Young Life, Reconnect Resources or Heartland events… I always take a few moments to tell her once again about the impact that Jeff had on me, my business, and likely many others… This past Saturday night was no different -
Reconnect Resources, a ministry that my best buddy Kyle Gillespie started five years ago, had their annual dinner at Martha’s house. At the end of the night, while we were scraping dishes, I once again told Martha how grateful I am for Jeff. I also told her that a few years ago, I let someone borrow my MITM book, and she said she had a box of them in the basement…. She came back upstairs with several copies…
I will undoubtedly keep one for myself, I already gave one to Ed when i was taking him to the airport yesterday, but I have copies available… to lend out. If you want to read a great book on life and work balance, and the impact you can have on those around you, from the eyes of Jeff Comment, email me… I want Martha’s generosity on me to have a similar impact on those around me.
