My take: Things seemed to be going well for Greg Beckett and then…
Over the weekend, we learned about a Wells Fargo executive who plunged to his death from the 14th floor of an office tower on Concord Pike in north Wilmington in January.
Friends and family told the Wall Street Journal that Gregg Beckett had been showing signs of stress from a high-priority project leading long hours and 11 p.m. phone calls.
The end came despite outward signs that things were going well for the devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and the University of West Virginia.
The tragedy was not reported locally – police here typically don’t report suicides. However, it is clear that family and friends struggling to understand what happened felt it was important to share the story of a good friend and loving uncle who left us too soon.
Over the weekend, Vet Fest was held at the Whitehall community near Middletown with funds raised for an effort that is making a difference in slowing an epidemic of suicides by current and former military members.
Beckett’s story is a reminder that these tragedies are not confined to the military. A couple of hundred people a year take their lives in the workplace. Suicide rates are also high in high-stress jobs, such as police work.
Click here for the story from Wall Street. Journal (subscription required). Other versions were cobbled together in the UK media and are available online. The rewrites lean toward sensationalizing his passing rather than shining a light on an overlooked workplace issue.
For a fuller view of his life, click here for his life story from Delaware Online.
Help is available: Reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
