In Honor of Matt Marchant

Matt Marchant left an amazing legacy. The testimony to this was provided by his family and friends at his funeral on June 15. It lasted 2 hours and consisted mostly of stories told by his friends and family about Matt, his character and the unwavering service he has provided to those with whom he came in contact. About 10 of the Venafi team were in attendance and to a person, we did not fully appreciate the depth and breadth of his goodness and service to others. I really liked Matt and saw what he accomplished in a very short time at Venafi. Undoubtedly he was going to change the world as part of the Venafi team. 2 things I learned. One, I underestimated the person and the amount he helped others selflessly. And two, I underestimated how instrumental he would be in fulfilling our mission.

One story stands out. His neighbor and her husband in the Utah city of Bountiful, were experiencing economic hardship. Unexpectedly one day, Matt showed up with a check that enabled them to pay their mortgage and their bills. His own money, a neighbor in need, he had an awareness of their situation and served them by helping without being asked. He saw someone in need and just acted to help.

This was one of many stories about how he was constantly helping others.

Now it is our turn to follow the example Matt set for us. Past his life on this planet he is leading us by example. He was aware of hardship and moved to help. Maybe his deep empathy emanated from what he knew from his own challenges and demons….. how hard life can be at times. We will never know, but we do know that he actively and consistently served others.

Some of us spoke with his wife Shanna and her best friend. Her friend is fiercely protective of Shanna and was very helpful in guiding us to figure out how to follow Matt’s example of being aware of the hardship. Matt’s family is faced with a number of bills related to medical care, living, education, and housing. These were not expected, planned for, and Matt is not here to help. Shanna did not ask for anything. Her friend provided this visibility.

Here is what we will do.

The money  donated will be available to Matt’s family and Shanna will decide how best to use it. The Venafi team (aka Venafi the company) will start with a $15,000 donation. Any team member that would like to individually contribute can just go to the website and make a donation. There is no request for you to participate, there is no pressure or desire to pressure anyone into taking action, and there is no obligation. All we have is the example Matt set in his life. He clearly put others before himself.

Matt is leading us. He set an example. He served others, everyone was on his team and he put the team of Matt before himself. And now we can follow his example.

Thanks Matt!