“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.

Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

The famous quote in Apple’s “Think Different” commercial is one that Steve Jobs wrote himself.  And it’s befitting that the line accompanying Apple’s rise also be used to commemorate the person responsible for this.

On Wednesday, Apple stores closed from 9 AM to 12 Noon as Apple employees paid tribute to Jobs.  Those who could attend the memorial went to Apple’s Cupertino campus, while those who couldn’t attend had to be contented with the live webcast in Apple stores.

Customers who flocked to Apple stores were a bit irate when they found out that the store was closed for a few hours.  Apple didn’t really do a good job informing people that their stores would be closed for a few hours on Wednesday.  But the upset customers softened up when they were told why the stores had to be closed.

Speakers at the ceremony included CEO Tim Cook, Intuit chairman and Apple board member Bill Campbell, former vice president and also an Apple board member Al Gore, and Apple’s senior vice president of industrial design Jony Ive.  Also in attendance was Jobs’ wife Laurene Powell Jobs, though she did not speak at the ceremony.

Cook spoke about his friendship and experience regarding Jobs as his mentor.  He reiterated that it was an honor to have worked and known Jobs, and that those who weren’t fortunate to have personally known Jobs missed out on a lot of things.

But Gore’s focus was more on the company and the employees and how Jobs changed Apple by making it a company for the workers and that Apple is not only about Jobs.

Thousands of Apple workers filled the Cupertino campus, and it just showed how Jobs lived his life, having a massive effect on so many people.  There were tears shed and some laughter shared as Jobs’ life was remembered.  Only a great man can bring those kinds of emotions to thousands of people.

Coldplay and Norah Jones performed at the memorial.  When Coldplay sang their song “Fix You” and got to the part of “Tears stream down your face … and I will try to fix you,” it was like a scene in a movie and tears literally started rolling.  As one employee said, “It was the perfect song.”  Coldplay was the band that played when Apple launched the iPod.  Randy Newman’s song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” marked the end of the ceremony.  This was the song used in Pixar‘s first feature movie, “Toy Story.”  Jobs was a major investor in Pixar until 2006, when Disney bought the company.

And to add to Jobs’ awesomeness, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, one of Apple’s partners, said in an interview that the day the iPhone 4S was announced, he had a meeting with Cook at the Cupertino headquarters.  Cook had to excuse himself from the meeting because Jobs called upon him to talk about Apple’s next product.

“That was the day of the announcement of the iPhone 4S. He said that Steve is calling me because he wants to talk about their next product. And the next day, he died,” recalled Son.

If you want take part in Jobs’ memorial, visit Remembering Steve, where you can read and submit your thoughts on Jobs.