I really wish posts like these could mention the startup, so I could make note to never do business with them. No matter what transpired between the OP and his

I really wish posts like these could mention the startup, so I could make note to never do business with them. No matter what transpired between the OP and his boss, that is not how you fire someone with a family. Period. You can hate the guy. You can think he's terrible. You can wish him all the ill in the world, but if there's a family involved, you give them notice and you help them move on. Anything less than that, you're just a selfish asshole.