It’s been a terrible week for the Excel community, with the passing of Microsoft Excel team member and former Excel MVP Chris “Smitty” Smith. If you have no idea who he is, then you are unlucky, because he truly was a lovely bloke, with a great mind, unassuming temperament and a wry sense of humour. You probably know his work though – if nothing else, he was heavily involved in Excel Help.

Never seen without his signature cap, Smitty gave encouragement and advice to the entire Excel community, posting nearly 30,000 answers on Mr. Excel, for example! I usually sat next to him at the MVP Summits, where he was both hard working and laid back.

I recall at the last summit a fellow MVP came across to our desk to say hello, stumbled, and poured his glass of water all over Smitty’s brand new Surface Book 2, frying it instantly. Smitty immediately stood up, and checked whether his friend was OK after tripping, caring nothing for the hardware. To my shame, I cannot say I would have had the same reaction, but that was the man. And that’s why he was so well loved.

Smitty leaves behind a young family, wife Cyndi and daughter Campbell, who are fiercely proud of him. If you knew him and would like to contribute, then you might wish to consider buying a copy of his recent e-Book, with all monies collected presently donated to Smitty’s daughter Campbell’s scholarship fund.

He will be missed.