Saying “Thank You” in the Most Memorable Way

Mark was more than just a coworker, he was the guy who always had your back. He had been with the company for 30 years, and when he announced his retirement, I knew we had to do something big. But I wanted to go beyond the usual farewell card or gift basket. I wanted to show him just how much he had impacted all of us.

That’s when the idea of a custom song came up. I worked with a few colleagues to pull together the details: his legendary sense of humour, the way he mentored new hires, and the fact that he never missed a Friday coffee run. We even included a line about his “dad jokes” that always managed to make us groan and laugh at the same time.

At his retirement party, we played the song after the speeches. As the music started, you could see his expression change from surprise to pure emotion. By the end, he was laughing, wiping his eyes, and shaking his head like he couldn’t believe it.

He told us later that he’s played it for his family and friends multiple times and that it made him feel like all those years of hard work really mattered. That song wasn’t just a gift—it was a tribute to everything he had given to us.