Urmat Orozaliev

Urmat,

I am still lost for words, it’s been a month since you are gone and it still feels like a bad dream that you are no longer in this world…

I was so looking forward to seeing you again in Munich and laugh until my belly hurts. You had a charisma and a sense of humour that were unique, I always felt so happy to see you and excited when I knew I will see you again!

I still remember when you came dressed as Karl Lagerfeld for carnival with your cat, that was such a fun night. I will forever miss our humorous tirades at people and situations and your facial expressions while telling the best jokes. It is going to take me a while to accept that I won’t be able to relive such moments.

Somehow the past two weeks I have met one person from Kyrgyzstan and today I spoke to someone that will go on holidays to Kyrgyzstan and that filled me with even more sadness as I spoke about you.

I will forever speak about you because you will forever live in my memory. I hope you are in peace wherever you are.

Possibly my first memory of Urmat was at a carnival in Munich about 10 years ago where he dressed as Karl Lagerfeld. He had the wig, the hand fan, the glasses, the cat, I mean, he nailed it. And he filled the room with his amazing personality, wittiness and joy. The party was full, but he stood out, as he stood out everywhere really.
I can only consider myself lucky to have know him, to be his friend. To have shared unimportant details of every day life and laugh about it. Distance and time zones made sharing less frequent. I was waiting for the next time he would come to town, to talk in person, to give him a hug. It is incredibly sad to know that I won’t be able to.

We miss you Urmat.

Love to Karl and his family

Urmat, thank you for enriching our lives with your warmth, openness, and truly welcoming spirit.

When I joined the department back then, you made me feel at ease from the very first moment — something I will never forget. I was so grateful to have met you.
You always put others first, and everyone who met you, felt genuinely seen, welcomed, and accepted. You had such a special gift for easing even the stiffest atmosphere and making every room feel warmer, lighter, and full of smiles. You were not just a colleague, but truly the heart of the team.

It’s hard to put into words how much you meant to all of us, even though in the end we only stayed in touch from time to time.

I hope you have found peace and that your light continues to shine wherever you are.

My deepest condolences to Karl and your family.

You will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

Urmat was one of the kindest and most welcoming people I’ve ever had the privilege to know. We worked together in Munich, but it wasn’t until I moved to the United States that our friendship truly grew. He had a natural way of making people feel at ease and making every gathering feel warm and special.

During those years in the US, he and Karl welcomed me into their home many times. Their generosity and friendship meant more to me than I can fully express. Some of my best memories of New York are connected to evenings spent with them, full of laughter, conversation, and genuine kindness.

This photo captures one of those memories perfectly — simple, joyful, and filled with friendship. That is how I will always remember Urmat.

He will be deeply missed, and my thoughts are with Karl and everyone who loved him.

Urmat, benim için sadece bir meslektaş değil, gerçek bir arkadaştı. Ona her zaman güvenebilirdim — dürüst, sıcak kalpli ve her zaman samimiydi.
Onu tanıdıkça ne kadar özel biri olduğunu anladım. Kaç dil konuşabildiğine her seferinde hayret ederdim. Kırgızistan'ı yalnız terk edip yabancı bir ülkede yeni bir hayat kurması, hem cesaret hem de karakter gerektiriyordu — ve bunu başarıyla yaptı.
Bir keresinde Kırgızistan'dan bana geleneksel Kırgız terliği getirmişti. Küçük bir jest gibi görünebilir, ama beni çok duygulandırmıştı. O terlikleri her gördüğümde Urmat'ı hatırlıyorum.
Keşke daha sık görüşebilseydik.
Işıklar içinde uyu, dostum. 🙏

Any day that I ran into you at the office was a happy day! Your warm smile, infectious laugh, hilarious sense of humor, impeccable style - you were sunshine in human form. You will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.

Dear Urmat,

It is so unbelievable and unreal.
I am full with so wonderful, great and funny memories to the times which we spent together. From the first day when you enter my office until the diner when you were the last time in Munich.

I loved your humor, your positive attitude and the intelligent exchanges. You were sensitive, special, could listen and be very helpful.

You and Karl were such great and lovely hosts when I had the opportunity to stay a long week at your house in New York. I will never forget these days!

Urmat,
The planet without you is poorer. Such a person as you are unique!
I hope that you and your soul find a peaceful and beauty place.
I miss you!

Dear Urmat,

the days and weeks pass but I still hope this is just a bad dream.

Your sense of humour, your generosity (with time, emotions ..everything), your big heart, your wonderfulness, we will never forget.
We will cherish the memories - the kids we will always remember the "uncle from America", you will be forever in our thoughts and hearts.

In Loving Memory:
Your generosity and friendship made every day brighter and was really outstanding - a source of support and inspiration in so many ways.
Thank you for the memories, the laughter and kindness you shared so freely. You will never be forgotten

Thank you for welcoming me to New York and showing me the Big Apple. I truly enjoyed the short time we spent together and I deeply admired your personal journey. The fact that you reached out to me even before my departure to NY, without knowing me personally, and offered your support shows what an amazing, open-hearted, and giving person you were.
I will always appreciate the time we spent together in the office, as well as our after-work tours and drinks.
I can't imagine how immense the loss must be for your loved ones. RIP and my deepest condolences to your family.

Dear Urmat,
I miss you and think of you every single day.
You were the one I would turn to share my happiest moments and my deepest frustrations, to laugh until my stomach hurt, and to find someone who truly understood my worries. Losing you is simply inconceivable.
From the moment I got to know you, I was in constant awe. How intelligent you were, how witty and fun, how soft-spoken and tactful, how impeccably dressed, how fast you would genuinely connect to so many people from every walk of life. I remember the day you gave me a tour of our headquarters in Neuperlach: you moved through the rooms speaking flawless German to our board members and senior colleagues, then shifted effortlessly into Russian, English, and Turkish. You introduced me to so many people and made everything feel easy. And beyond that, you looked after me during my very first days in Munich — showed me around, took me to your favourite places, brought me into your private circle. I never quite understood what I had done to deserve such generosity and kindness. But that was simply who you were. You made everyone feel special, without even trying.
On the days I felt low, I knew exactly who to call. We would laugh so hard that I would end up with stomach cramps — and somehow, every time, you sent me back into the world feeling lighter. Through you, I discovered a fascination with the history of the Turkic peoples that I had never encountered growing up in Russia. You opened doors not just to people and places, but to entire worlds of knowledge and culture.
When you moved to the United States, it was hard for me. You went on to achieve so much — learning, growing, and charming an entire new part of our company just as you had charmed everyone before. And whenever we saw each other again, it was as though we saw each other the day before..
You gave so much of yourself to everyone around you, so generously and so gracefully. The world is quieter without you in it.
With love and gratitude,
Liza

Urmat was a truly special person with nothing but kindness in his heart and a gift for making everyone smile. Even years after working together, his thoughtfulness and loving nature continued to touch my life. He will be deeply missed by everyone lucky enough to have known him.

Thanks for your hospitality, warmth and kindness, for example when staying at your home in NYC right when COVID started.

The truth brings us to tears, all a words can not express the joy he brought us through the years.