Even if that person is someone you see only occasionally, or only know of because of their high public profile, their abrupt departure can come as a huge shock.
We feel bereft and imagine how awful it must be for family left in the lurch. It reminds us of our own mortality, of the finality of death and of how brutally quickly the end can happen.
There is also the realisation that, with their death, that person’s potential for improving others’ lives has gone.
Without becoming hagiographical, this is a time for us to reflect on Mr Radich’s achievements in Dunedin, particularly as mayor until October last year and for a very brief stint as a city councillor following his defeat at the elections.
Like all of us, Cr Radich was not perfect. Sometimes the city’s 59th mayor seemed out of his depth and struggling to come to grips with city issues, how best to handle fellow councillors and fulfil council protocols.
However, few could doubt his intentions to make Dunedin a better place. His attitude was overwhelmingly positive and he persevered to ensure the city’s new hospital will be the best it can be and of a suitable size, despite some criticisms he could have done more sooner.
Cr Radich smiled a lot and seemed fit and healthy. Since his death at the weekend, several people have remarked that whenever they saw him in the street or in a shop he had a smile on his face. That is a wonderful trait and, sadly, not one many have.
Unsurprisingly, tributes have been rolling in for Cr Radich in recent days as the city comes to grip with the bad news. His successor, Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker, said she was deeply saddened by his death. He would be remembered especially for tirelessly advocating for 11 floors of inpatient care at the new hospital, she said.
She also highlighted his contributions to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, the Dunedin Art Society and to various members of the business community.
Ms Barker will be particularly affected by Cr Radich’s death. It always leads to some level of introspection when one’s predecessor dies. In her case, she was deputy mayor to Mr Radich until September 2023, when she stood down over a code of conduct complaint she and Cr Jim O’Malley laid, saying he minimised racial abuse from Strath Taieri Community Board chairman Barry Williams against a member of the public.
Mayoral contender Cr Andrew Simms said when they were both elected as councillors, "Jules immediately put the campaign aside and offered me friendship and advice". Other councillors talked about how Cr Radich had welcomed them warmly.
That likeable nature and popularity was reflected in him being elected mayor in 2022 and in his polling third-highest of councillors last October.
Just a few weeks ago, Cr Radich was one of a group of councillors who met with frustrated South Dunedin residents over ongoing sewage overflows along Surrey St after heavy rain. He said it was a free and frank meeting.
Cr Radich was poised to lead the infrastructure portfolio this term, an appropriate task for an elected representative who put much store in the importance of pipes and pumps in South Dunedin. He also wanted groynes on St Clair Beach to help reduce erosion, and was successful in pushing for the state highway one-way system through the city to be retained.
Soon the jostling will begin to fill the vacancy he leaves. It is likely we will see some recently ousted councillors, and other council hopefuls who ran unsuccessfully in October, have another go in the by-election.
As a one-term mayor, Mr Radich didn’t have the opportunity to build up the legacy that some longer-serving predecessors managed.
In the history books he may not rate as one of Dunedin’s most effective or long-term mayors. But he believed in the city and its people and was a decent man.
