The baseball community was saddened by news that longtime Mets staffer Shannon Forde passed away Friday at the age of 44, following a long battle with breast cancer.
Many around the industry were quick to share their lasting thoughts and memories of Forde via social media.
Hall of Famer Mike Piazza called Forde "a wonderful, dedicated member of the Mets family" in a Twitter post.

Former Mets pitcher Dillon Gee remembered Forde as "a warm, friendly, loving, selfless person."

Dodgers infielder Justin Turner, who played for the Mets from 2010-13, wrote of Forde: "Her smile and sense of humor were refreshing and she had warmth and kindness about her that was comforting. Even through tough times she always put everyone else first."

Royals vice president of communications Mike Swanson said Forde "was the rock behind" Mets vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz.
"When Jay had his hands full with the media, she was always there to help with everything," Swanson said. "More than anything, she was a dear, dear friend. This is one of the saddest days in my life in baseball. This is heartbreaking."
The Orioles, Pirates, Mariners and Royals were among the big league clubs to offer condolences via their official Twitter pages.
Jack Curry of the YES Network remembered Forde as "one of the sweetest people I've ever met in baseball."

Newsday's David Lennon doubted anyone would ever care more about the Mets than Forde.
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch recalled Forde as "the warmest [and] kindest person you would ever want to meet." 

Anthony DiComo, MLB.com's Mets beat writer, described Forde as "one of the true good ones."

New York Daily News baseball columnist John Harper wrote Forde "touched all who knew her with her strength and smile."
Forde, a trailblazer for women in baseball, joined the Mets as an intern in 1994 after graduating from St. John's and rose through the organizational ranks to become the club's senior director of media relations. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in August 2012. Forde leaves behind a husband, John, and two children, Nicholas and Kendall.