An effortless way of connecting

I was introduced to Jay in the first months of his relationship with Olivia. Jay was the only man among us close girlfriends that day and I was struck by how easily he chatted and the conversation flowed. His warm personality, infectious smile and seemingly effortless way of connecting made a real impression on us – he put it down to having grown up with sisters. It was easy to see how much it meant for him to make a good impression with Olivia’s friends, and I left with a good feeling at how at ease they were with each other and us.

As time went on, I got to know more about him, his love of journalism and his ability to talk about serious issues with light and humour. Jay was exceptionally generous socially, going out of his way to give space and acknowledge other’s achievements and was very modest about his own. As busy as life was with work, travel, moving house, planning his engagement, getting married, etc. he still remembered I had talked about some writing I had been doing and offered to help, while hosting a New Year’s Eve party, finding the right music to play and generally making sure he had the chance to talk to everyone. I will long remember the great parties Jay and Olivia shared and hosted together, with genuine warmth, loving friendship, generous food, wine, music and dancing.

Mubeen