Rest in Peace, Mr. D...

Sad news this week. On Monday at our weekly office meeting we learned over the weekend that Richard Dunnigan, the founder of Dunnigan Realtors, had suffered a massive stroke and his days were limited. Of course we were all shocked to hear that because he had just been in the office last week as usual and seemed perfectly fine. We then learned on Wednesday morning that he had passed away over night. He was 101 years old.

If I haven't mentioned it before, "Mr. D" was amazing.

When I first joined Dunnigan Realtors in 2010, he was one of the first people to welcome me to the company. He was 97 then and was attending the weekly Monday morning office meeting. Even after he sold the company many years ago, he STILL kept an office there, and would come in 3-4 times per week. He was sharp as a tack, and always had a story about a property he sold way back when, or how he would handle a certain situation, or when he helped form the MLS in Sacramento, or something the Sacramento Association of Realtors did 50-something years ago when he was its President. He always said that doing things with honesty and integrity was first and foremost. "Do the right thing," he would say, "and the real estate sales will follow." This high ethical standard that started with Mr. D was one of the primary reasons I joined Dunnigan Realtors; because the ownership of the company firmly holds these ideals as well.

I have many sweet memories of Mr. D. The photo is from his 100th birthday gathering at our Land Park office last year. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and he said that was "the highlight of his 100 years!" Ha.

The last time I saw Mr. D was on Wednesday, July 2nd, when he came into the office as usual. He has to pass my desk on the way to his office. I looked up from my laptop, flashed a big smile and said, "Hey there Mr. D! How are you?" He smiled from ear-to-ear and replied, "My eyes are open so it's a great day!"

It seems surreal that the light is now out in his office. I kind of hope we leave things the way they are in there. I don't think the office needs that space for anything. Rest in peace, Mr. D. I miss you already.