9 ms·
Betty Weissman (mother of edw519) 1930-2011
- kirubakaran 15y agoI am sorry for your loss, Ed.
- joshuacc 15y agoRequiescat in pace.
- vimalg2 15y agoMy condolences. May you find comfort in the good memories. Last year, I lost my dad. He was 57; He died on his birthday. I miss his quirky sense of humor.
- sneak 15y agoIf I must die, I hope to die as an integer as well.
- edw519 15y agoI realize this isn't exactly Hacker News, but sharing the source of my inspiration brings me more comfort than just about anything I've ever posted here. She was the perfect mother for an introverted, achievement-oriented nerd trying to find his way in the world. Thanks for letting me share. [UPDATE: Thank you all for your kind words. It really means a lot to me.]
- mechanical_fish 15y agoBy the authority invested in me by a highly arbitrary karma algorithm, I decree that people with sufficient HN karma get to make a post inviting other HN members to mourn the passing of their mother. When we have to -- but not before; remember that we are nothing if not lean and agile -- we can have the debate about the karma cutoff for mourning. My initial proposal is: 1. (Incidentally, more condolences, and I apologize if it is inappropriate to be slightly silly at the memorial. It's my family tradition. I can't let my late grandfather down. ;)
- AceJohnny2 15y agoI'm glad for you having such a great person as inspiration in your life. My condoleances for her passing.
- aqrashik 15y agoMy condolences, sorry for your loss
- gacba 15y agoIn the words of Joni Mitchell, "We don't know what we got til it's gone..." My condolences.
- comatose_kid 15y agoEd, we met at the YC offices over a year ago. My sympathies and comfort go out to you and your family. If you're ever back in town let me know and I'll buy you a drink.
- shailesh 15y agoMy deepest condolences.
- Irene 15y agoSo sorry to hear of your loss. What a beautiful and touching tribute. May all mothers live long, very long
- Arjuna 15y agoI am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of her remarkable impact on your life.
- grellas 15y agoEd, your moving tribute to your mom reminds us that achievers in life are not only those who build companies or who "change the world" in some public sense - but also all the good, decent, and loving people who spend their lives quietly helping and inspiring others - your mom quite evidently among them. I went through this too in the past couple of years and there are few things in life more painful, even when we expect it. Your mom must have been a very special person. I am sorry for your loss.
- pasbesoin 15y agoThank you for sharing this. My condolences.
- projectileboy 15y agoPerfectly appropriate. You're one of a small handful who make Hacker News what it is, at its best. I'm sorry for your loss.
- SingAlong 15y agoSorry for your loss Ed. I opened the link expecting no surprise. And closed the tab realizing how much I love to see my parents happy, no matter what. Thanks for the lovely and inspiring post.
- soonerjm 15y agoBeautiful eulogy. So sorry for your loss, Ed.
- mattdeboard 15y agoMy condolences.
- krat0sprakhar 15y agoSorry for your loss, Ed. My condolences.
- dhimes 15y agoMy condolences. I hope you can find some peace in the coming days.
- mechanical_fish 15y agoMy condolences, Ed. Your mom sounds like an awesome person.
- maaku 15y agoMy condolences; I am sorry for your loss.
- smoyer 15y agoWow ... I hope my kids feel that way about me when I leave this world. I know you'll miss her physical presence, but I get the sense that you carry so much of her with you that you'll never feel that she's left you. But I'll add my condolences for that physical loss.
- Omnipresent 15y agoSorry for your loss. I hope Sharing this among your community will ease the pain.
- rglover 15y agoWhat an excellent way to remember your mom. She sounds like a great woman and I can tell she'll be greatly missed. Thank you for sharing this with everyone.
- spinchange 15y agoYour mom sounds really remarkable. I want to share my condolences.
- rediah 15y agoThank you for sharing this. My condolences to you and to all whose mothers have passed away.
- hernan7 15y agoMy condolences Ed.
- wgrover 15y agoNice lessons here for parents. Thanks for sharing and my heartfelt sympathies for your loss.
- thehodge 15y agoThat was simply beautiful, I hope when I have kids mate, I inspire that in them... bookmarked for future reference..
- johnnyg 15y agoThat was a lovely blog post and I've upvoted you with my humble amount of karma. I am sorry for your loss, but hey, you had a lot of good time and clearly spent it well.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- simplegeek 15y agoBeautiful writing. I'm really sorry for your loss!
- jacquesm 15y agohey Ed, I just woke up to your email. First of all my condolences to you This stuff really hits where it hurts. The 'behind every great man' quote more often than not refers to a mom rather than a spouse and I think it is beautiful of you that you wrote this and I hope that those who don't think this is 'hacker news' can keep their hands of their mouse buttons. To all of you wondering how many pomodoros worth of productivity you can squeeze out of today: Keep an eye on the rest of your life it is more fleeting than you probably realize. I love you is so much better than goodbye. You're a lovely person Ed, now I have a bit more insight into why. j.
- larrys 15y ago"The 'behind every great man' quote more often than not refers to a mom" I actually never thought about this until you just said it. I always put it to the spouse not the mom. It's sad that kids aren't raised like this anymore. In our day you didn't get the trophy unless you deserved the trophy. Now kids get a trophy just for showing up and everyone is special.
- nasmorn 15y agoI sometimes like to think I could cope well with losing my mom now that I am married and have a child but in reality it scares the shit out of me. My condolences to you
- hurt 15y agoThat's a wonderful if very sad blog post. I'm sorry for your loss Ed.
- gommm 15y agoSorry for your loss Ed, that was beautiful and sad writing. My condolences.
- raju 15y agoMy condolences Ed. She sounds like a terrific person, and a great inspiration.
- zafka 15y agoI am sorry for your loss. She lives on through you.
- redouane 15y agomy condolences ed, words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel.
- mleonhard 15y agoI'm sorry for your loss. I went through this last year.
- startupcomment 15y agoMy deepest condolences to you and your family. Thanks for sharing such a heart-felt and moving tribute. She seemed like a model parent and a wonderful person to spend time with. Many lessons for us all to learn from. I know from my own experience that much benefit can be derived from writing about our deceased loved ones. I plan to save your blog post among other files in my "inspirational" folder.
- calloc 15y agoMy sincerest condolences.
- larrys 15y agoI was raised the same way and can relate to all you've said about your mother. (My mother is about the same age and was raised in the same era.) These two are my favorites: ---- When others said, "We need a time-out," or "This is a teaching moment," she just looked at you in such a way that you knew that there would never be a worse feeling than disappointing her. When you played a song on the piano and she didn't recognize it, she said, "For this we need lessons? Go practice some more!"
- david927 15y agoMy deepest condolences, Ed.
- mcenedella 15y agoOh, Ed. I am so sorry to hear this. Welcome to the very unfortunate club of those of us who have lost a parent. It will always hurt, and it never goes away, but you do come to be at peace with it over time. I am really thinking about you and this wonderful tribute you've written for your lovely mother right now. You've done something beautiful and she is so proud of you. My advice at this time is to fully allow yourself to mourn. It's OK. Only you can experience your mourning and it may be the same or it may be different from how other people experience it, but just remember that only you can experience your mourning in the way you need to. And that is totally cool because you are a beautiful piece of your Mom that is here right now. Plus... Betty would've wanted it that way. My sorrows are with you / Marc
- grosales 15y agoMy most sincere condolences. May the inspiration she instilled in you be eternal.
- dlevine 15y agoMy condolences on your loss. Losing a parent is hard - I lost my father almost two years ago, and I still think about him almost every day. Hopefully the happy memories of her will help you to get through the tough times.
- mcrittenden 15y agoWhen my dad died suddenly a couple years ago, I found a surprising amount of relief from this poem. Death is Nothing at All by Henry Scott Holland Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference in your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without affect, without the trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same that it ever was. There is absolutely unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well.
- d99kris 15y agoMy condolences, sorry for your loss.
- Vivtek 15y agoExcuse me, I have something in my eye. Lovely writing, as always, Ed, and I think she probably would have smiled for this one.
- TheSmoke 15y agomothers, in my belief, are the most beautiful, most precious creations. i felt your mourning in my heart. my condolences.
- yesbabyyes 15y agoMy condolences to you, Ed. Now I have a clue to why you always come across as such a wise man in your posts. I am so lucky that I still have both my loving parents, but I have experienced the loss of loved ones. I find solace in knowing that while they can't make new decisions, their light cone will keep shining in eternity, so they will always be a part of the world.
- pstuart 15y agoYou are a lucky man to have such a wonderful mother, and to realize it as well. We are equally lucky because she did a great job with you and all of HN has benefited greatly from your contributions. I've taken note of what she has told you and will try do do my best to absorb and apply it to my own children. Peace to you and your family.
- runjake 15y agoI obviously don't know you or your mother, but I enjoy your writings and it's now obvious she played a big part in building you, so my condolences.
- kfalter 15y agoEd... I don't know you, but as another hard working person, I can honestly say that your post has reminded me of what is important in life. It's those that love me who support my hard work and sometimes reclusiveness/introverted-ness. Thank you for posting this. Your mother's story has had a compounded effect with your post. Her legacy lives on, and this is just one way: inspiring others on HN to cherish those who love them, which she obviously did with you. Thanks, and I am sorry for your loss.
- scrrr 15y agoI like this post on HN. Because of the content, thanks for sharing that, but also because I think it is important to think about death. For many reasons. My condolences to you, edw519.
- Mithrandir 15y agoI'm sorry for your loss. May she be always remember by the ones who loved her dearly.
- rbanffy 15y agoMy most sincere condolences. There is nothing that can be said in the face of such loss. We all face it one day or another. It never gets better, but we get used to it and we move on.
- ajju 15y agoShe had to have been a really wonderful person to have raised a son who is such a nice human being. My condolences Ed.
- edanm 15y agoedw519, my condolences. You're one of the most interesting and inspiring people on Hacker News. I'm sure I speak for many other when I say Thank You for all you've done here.
- freemarketteddy 15y agoThis post made me call my mom after about a month!...Really sorry for your loss man!
- bane 15y agoDeepest condolences. "Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.", William Makepeace Thackeray.
- TeMPOraL 15y agoMy sincere and deepest condolences, Ed. Thank you for sharing this.