One of the many things I learned from Ilmo about how to navigate the world was his lighthearted, genuine approach. He had an ability to take lightly the things that felt pressing in the moment but didn’t matter in the long run, and yet to give deep and genuine sincerity to the things that did matter.

He wasn’t going to be swayed by his peers in what he knew to be most important. This meant not taking on manufactured urgency on work projects that wouldn’t ultimately matter in the long run, or hurting too deeply over world trends that we couldn’t control.

Most importantly, though, it meant taking every single thing to do with his son Cal with utmost sincerity. It meant that being close to a great chess coach was important for school choices, and being able to walk to a friend’s house was a central factor in choosing a house to buy. Cal was probably 7 when I met Ilmo, and he spoke of him from day one as a full and completely important human for whom there was no such thing as a childish whim. His privacy was important. His wants were important. He mattered, completely and absolutely. Cal’s happiness were important in a way that our multi billion dollar company never was. I learned from this both how to be a better parent, and also how to navigate the world with a steady and confident knowledge of what matters.

Hannah Highfill