Though Marc Granet exited the cockpit of the Miss GEICO raceboat four years ago, he remained a member of the South Florida-based team’s owners group. Granet was gone from the day-to-day grind of running a high-profile offshore racing team, but he still had a say—and a vote—in decisions that affected its business side. And he still cared deeply about the team, which abruptly ended its 14-year run last month.

A Granet family photo from better days—from left: Devon, Danae, Marc, Nathan and Holden.

But for one tragic reason, Granet hasn’t had much time, much less the inclination, to think or talk about it. The Miss GEICO team announced its sponsor’s decision on August 27. Granet’s former wife, Danae, died the following day. She was 54 years old.

“She was my best friend of 30 years,” he told me via text message that morning. “I’m devastated.”

Marc and Danae Granet had a daughter and two sons—21-year-old Devon, 20-year-old Holden and 15-year-old Nathan—during their 17-year marriage. Regardless of their parting, they shared a bond that only comes with bringing children into the world, from the sheer terror of the first few months with kid No. 1 (they don’t come with manuals) to the joy of watching them find their own voices in this world.

The very best divorce is a truly miserable experience. But the common bond of having children, at least for right-minded parents who rise above their differences to make raising them their top priority, never breaks.

Today, Granet and their children attended Danae’s funeral.

Granet’s world has been rocked in a way that makes Miss GEICO’s exit seem trivial, which in the larger context of his beautiful life it is. But there is a connection, he explained, that merges both.

“Danae was at the races, supporting me from behind the whole time,” he said. “It’s amazing how many guys in the sport are able to do it because of the strong women behind them.”

And that is real perspective.

God’s speed, Danae Granet.

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