[This was originally posted on April 9, 2014.]
On April 4, 2014, Stuart Opp died in London after a battle with stomach cancer. He was only 46 years old, a member of my high school graduating class of 1986. Last night I flipped through the Sabre for my junior and senior years at Stevens High School in Rapid City. On page 224 of the 1986 yearbook, Stuart Opp looks laughingly into the camera with a golf ball firmly stuck in his mouth. The caption reads: “While carefully attempting a 20-foot putt, the golf ball bounced out of the hole and into Stuart Opp’s mouth—Believe It, or Not.” I’ll leave it to you to decide whether the writer was telling a joke or retelling an actual event.
The first time I remember Stuart Opp was in kindergarten at Meadowbrook Elementary School. I had an enormous crush on him, and apparently it was somewhat mutual, as a common and completely nonsensical merry-go-round chant was “Stuart and Stephanie were man and wife. Stuart and Stephanie were married twice.” Stuart and I played marbles at recess, and I considered him my boyfriend until Tari Nelson, who was better at marbles, became his new recess partner in second grade. I was heartbroken, but she was better at marbles and she was adorably blond. Who could blame him?
On Facebook, Stuart was remembered as being consistently kind and funny throughout his school years. It seems to be no coincidence that as a child he was a Payday and Monopoly master and successful entrepreneur who retrieved and sold golf balls that had landed in Rapid Creek. Deloitte LLP lists him as the Global Investment Management Leader. He must have learned the art of the deal at a young age, and he is remembered as a smart and driven individual who excelled at relationships with people.
I think of him sitting in Mrs. Kirschenmann’s honor’s English class as we parsed sentences and analyzed poetry. His quick mind is on display in a quote he gave on Deloitte’s website about hedge fund regulation in Europe.
“Whilst today’s news offers some relief that both the European Council and European Parliament have been able to agree on their respective bargaining positions, it merely affirms our previous view that this regulation will lead to a disproportionate drag on investor returns. The alternative industry has received much criticism in recent years, however, they are a critical component of the capital markets, and any regulation needs to be appropriate.
“The endorsement of proportionality by the parliament is undeniably positive, and we hope will be able to mitigate the impact for smaller managers that are less able to absorb these additional costs. The divergent positions regarding marketing passports for non-EU managers will inevitably lead to further uncertainty for the industry however. We hope that forthcoming discussions between the Council and Parliament will result in investors being able to freely access best in class products irrespective of geographical domicile or political preference.”[1]
Mrs. Kirschenmann would be so proud.
As hard as he worked in the classroom or on the basketball court from grade school through high school, his impish grin always stands out in my memories of him. Susan Sweet and Suzy Bashara talk about Stuart and Ed Buckingham being chosen as protective escorts at their first live concert, Styx. Apparently, Stuart was making Ed and the girls continually move forward to empty seats until they reached a good viewing position. I can see him alternately cajoling and reassuring them as he pushed to get better seats.
I think of his friends who joined him in Raider Club, Boys Basketball, and Boys’ State. He was the number one golfer on the boys’ team throughout his senior year, and I am certain he played baseball through all the Little and Pony League years. So many of us watched him compete, an amiable and determined athlete who was small of frame but large of heart.
I think of his wife and two sons who must live for so many years without their dedicated and involved husband and father. I grieve for his parents who likely never expected to outlive one of their three children.
I’m reminded of Darren Rydstrom’s tragic death last year and how many of us still go to Darren’s Facebook page just to connect with all the other people who still miss him.
Rapid City produced so many talented and genuinely interesting and generous individuals. My mind cycles through happy images of baseball fields, basketball courts, golf courses, city streets and bike trails where Stuart rode his bicycle, and of course I think of him up to his thighs in the waters of Rapid Creek as he retrieved golf balls. Very few of us were in contact with Stuart as adults, but our memories of him as a bright and caring individual are reaffirmed in his obituary in The Rapid City Journal.[2]
Godspeed, Stuart. You were a shining gift from Rapid City to the world.
[1] http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GB/uk/industries/financial-services/3005b0832ffa8210VgnVCM100000ba42f00aRCRD.htm
[2] http://rapidcityjournal.com/obits/opp-stuart-r/article_805a9ba3-24f8-5ec0-91a6-a6884f572b3e.html