Obituary: "jimf"
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| kentp May 29, 2007 9:02 AM EDT |
The poster with the nick, "jimf," James R. Farnsworth (aka "Ronin" on the irc channels) of Kenosha, Wisconsin died this past Sunday morning in a hospital there. These forums and chats and the Linux community in general meant a lot to him. I know he made at least several close and important e-mail friends, too, but I don't know who they are. I also know it would have been very important to Jim not to leave these friends hanging without knowing what had happened to him. If any of you know these friends and correspondents, I'd appreciate it if you would let them know, or let me know how to get in contact with them. If any of you are these friends and want to know the details, please drop me a line at: kentp6@isp.com Thanks, folks. |
| Abe May 29, 2007 9:25 AM EDT |
Oh No. I was just thinking about him today wondering why I haven't seen any of his posts lately.
My condolences to his family and all his relatives and friends. I really enjoyed his posts and especially his humorous ones. I am sure he will be missed by everyone. |
| tuxchick May 29, 2007 9:25 AM EDT |
awww crap. I'll skritch a badger for you, Jim. :'-( |
| number6x May 29, 2007 9:34 AM EDT |
Jimf and his loved ones will be in my thoughts and prayers. My condolences. |
| Scott_Ruecker May 29, 2007 9:39 AM EDT |
Jim was most certainly my Friend. I knew something was up but I prayed he would get through it. :-( I am very very very sad right now.. May you rest in Peace my Friend. |
| herzeleid May 29, 2007 9:53 AM EDT |
Rest in peace Jim - you'll certainly be missed down here. |
| dcparris May 29, 2007 10:11 AM EDT |
Thanks for passing this on. Some of us were wondering why we hadn't heard from him. |
| jdixon May 29, 2007 10:13 AM EDT |
I've suggested that he send the details to Don for posting rather than email everyone. I think I can reliably say that everyone here liked Jimf. He will be missed. |
| dinotrac May 29, 2007 10:13 AM EDT |
Yeah. He and I have had a few private e-mails over the last couple of years. Condolences all around, including forum mates. Online families may not be blood, but... You hate to lose one of your own. Happy sailing, amigo. |
| SFN May 29, 2007 10:17 AM EDT |
It's odd. Most of us have never met and we are separated by many miles but we are...well...friends, it seems. I feel bad that it takes something like this to make me realize it. Just so I don't wait until another of us is gone to say it, even with the occasional bickering, I do value the times we share here. Good luck to you Jim. Here's hoping we can spend more time together next time around. |
| dcparris May 29, 2007 10:22 AM EDT |
Jim converted me to Debian. He was definitely a good friend, and well-liked by all of us. |
| jsusanka May 29, 2007 10:27 AM EDT |
like reading his comments he will be missed. |
| kozmcrae May 29, 2007 10:39 AM EDT |
Goodbye Jim. |
| NoDough May 29, 2007 10:54 AM EDT |
My most sincere condolences to Jim's family and friends. May Jim live on in the hearts of all whom he inspired. |
| Aladdin_Sane May 29, 2007 11:09 AM EDT |
jimf was one of the "well reasoned, intelligent" ones who convinced me it was OK to post at LXer. Valuable and missed. |
| bigg May 29, 2007 11:12 AM EDT |
Jim was an important part of both the LXer and Debian communities. I will certainly miss my communications with him, both here and in private email. He played a large part in my conversion to Debian. This really is unfortunate. |
| Scott_Ruecker May 29, 2007 11:34 AM EDT |
Quoting:Jim converted me to Debian. Me too, and from that time on we were on IRC almost every night talking about stuff and helping others with their Linux issues.. I learned a great deal from him, and not just about Linux either. |
| rijelkentaurus May 29, 2007 1:24 PM EDT |
So long, jimf. I have indeed missed your posts recently. I have no doubt we'll all meet up again, somewhere, sometime, who knows when and who knows how? My condolences to those left behind. |
| tracyanne May 29, 2007 1:49 PM EDT |
I haven't been here long enough to know him, but now that I think about it, I haven't seen posts from Jimf for a while. I'm sorry I never got to know you Jim, my condolences to your family. |
| Libervis May 29, 2007 3:04 PM EDT |
This is quite bitter. I had my disagreements with jimf on some issues we discussed here, but he was always polite. What gets to me though is that I wasn't aware that his nick on IRC was R0nin. I talked to R0nin on IRC back when I had a relationship with DebCentral (related to our sites). Now I find myself realizing that I kind of knew more about him than I thought.. This is very sad. My condolences to all relatives and to Jim safe journey through the beyond or.. rest in peace wherever he has arrived. |
| dek May 29, 2007 3:20 PM EDT |
I, too, want to express my condolences to those left behind. However, I also want to celebrate who jimf was as a person and as a tireless linux/debian advocate. I want to celebrate Jim's unique style of communicating and his sense of humor. It seems to me that we can be sad at Jim's death but that we can also celebrate that jimf lived and walked among us. He is still a part of this little lxer community in spirit and in his posts. Go in peace, jimf. I'll raise my glass a time or two to honor you! Don K. |
| Libervis May 29, 2007 3:26 PM EDT |
Indeed, it is interesting.. I think that if we'd go back and read the discussions in which he participated it would seem as if we traveled back in time to when he was still alive. In a way, internet keeps him alive forever... or at least as long as internet and all the sites which he left a part of him in are up. |
| dcparris May 29, 2007 4:03 PM EDT |
I have sent 2 e-mails seeking more information, but no response from Kentp as yet. The Kenosha newspaper doesn't seem to have his obituary yet. I do hope Kent will respond fairly soon. |
| Abe May 29, 2007 4:21 PM EDT |
Quoting:I have sent 2 e-mails seeking more information I too sent Kent an e-mail asking if he could post more details. I am hoping he would too. It is important to know about the circumstances to keep Jim's memory vivid in all of us. I like to suggest that one of us write Jim's obituary on Lxer and include some of his posts. May be titled as "In Memory of JIMF". I was really shocked and saddened all day today and didn't feel posting at all. |
| azerthoth May 29, 2007 4:28 PM EDT |
My condolences to his family. I count myself lucky to have been able to spend an evening or two talking to him on IRC and will forever miss the conversations that we never had as well. |
| jrm May 29, 2007 4:31 PM EDT |
I've only been registered at LXer for a short time, but jimf responded to my very first post here. It was a short, single sentence reply... but he made me laugh, and he made me feel welcome. I offer my condolences to his family, and also to his friends here at LXer. |
| kentp May 29, 2007 4:49 PM EDT |
Hi folks, I've just been talking to Don. He wants to do a little write up about Jim. It's very apparent from the outpouring of good feeling and fond memories that you and I knew the same Jim Farnsworth. I don't think I can tell you any more about his essence than you already know. I can tell you more about his life, though; but I think I might wait until Don does his write-up and then try to fill in the gaps where you're interested. I'm just very happy to see he had so many friends. |
| Scott_Ruecker May 29, 2007 5:04 PM EDT |
I was just thinking.. about all the times I totally disagreed with him..which were not few. all the times I totally did agree with him..which were too few but very sweet. all the things about Linux he taught me..mostly lessons is patience, which I needed. all the things not about Linux that he taught me... I am really missing him right now |
| tuxchick May 29, 2007 5:22 PM EDT |
kentp, he had a lot of friends here. Thanks for letting us know, and thanks to you and Don for collaborating on a write-up. I think we'll all appreciate that. |
| numbers May 29, 2007 5:46 PM EDT |
My condolances to jimf's family. I have lurked here for over a year I think but have just recently joined. From what I have read, jimf was one of the regulars here, a part of this community. I was shocked and saddened to learn of his passing. He will be missed by all. |
| jdixon May 29, 2007 7:03 PM EDT |
> about all the times I totally disagreed with him..which were not few. > all the times I totally did agree with him..which were too few but very sweet. The best thing I can say about Jimf was that when I saw that I disagreed with him, I took time to rethink my position. That's true for Dino, TC, and Don too. In fact, it's true of a larger number of people here than anywhere since my days on the Delphi CoCo SIG (which probably dates me fairly well for those who were around then). That's why I like the place so much. |
| Sander_Marechal May 29, 2007 10:36 PM EDT |
My condolences to to jimf's family and friends, both offline as online. I always liked following his discussions. As jdixon said, he always made you think twice, even if you disagreed with him about something. He'll be sorely missed. I'm happy that there will be a writeup about this though because like the others, I am quite curious as to the circumstances. ... and I thought he was simply on vacation ... |
| tminton May 30, 2007 2:22 AM EDT |
Rest in peace |
| Bob_Robertson May 30, 2007 4:11 AM EDT |
Societies are formed by individuals who interact indirectly. Communities are formed by individuals who interact because they _want_ to. I miss him. |
| techiem2 May 30, 2007 5:21 AM EDT |
:( |
| henke54 May 30, 2007 6:45 AM EDT |
My condolances to James' friends and family. ...until then Jim... |
| kentp May 30, 2007 7:15 AM EDT |
Thanks, Don, for the article. Not everybody goes out on a funeral pyre like that one. I'm sure Jim is happier with that than any Viking king who was ever set to rest in a blazing warship, which, by the way, is also the kind of ceremony Jim might have chosen for himself if he'd had his druthers. My metaphorical malfeasance aside, I would like to make one important "correction" to the article. "Best" is a superlative and an absolute. By definition, there can be only one best in any category. The exception is with friends, because a man can have more than one best friend. The moving e-mails I've been getting about Jim from members on this list have opened my eyes to that. Some of you were very close to him indeed. Jim's closest friend historically was probably Russ Hilton. Russ was another *very* bright, but laid-back, nice guy. Jim and he shared just about all interests in common -- anything technical, electronic, mechanical -- especially if it was dangerous, noisy and did 0 to 60 at faster than the speed of light, which is to say, motorcycles. Russ's beard was usually so long I'm surprised he never got it caught in a sprocket. He did take a bad spill on a dirt bike though, and he was saddled with back problems for the rest of his life thereafter. They were inseparable until the day Russ died. Indeed, they didn't even separate then. Jim told the story -- and his wife Cathy confirms it -- that he had a dream in which Russ came to him, let him know he was all right but that he had to go, and then he disappeared. When Jim woke up, he turned to Cathy and said, "Russ is gone." Later that day they got the phone call. Russ had died of a massive heart attack. I don't think Jim ever got over that. I don't see how he could. He was a *very* emotional man. And as distressed as you may be over the loss of Jim, he would, believe me, have been as distressed over the loss of you. He just went first is all. He went having a lot of best friends. It occurs to me that I forgot to tell Don that Jim built his own dulcimer from scratch. Motorcycles and dulcimers, painting and electronics, computers and, get this, "La Boheme" (I didn't even know about that one until I started going through his stuff) -- this was just some of Jim Farnsworth. More later. |
| hkwint May 30, 2007 8:00 AM EDT |
Though I never have been outside of Europe, 'jimf' as I knew him represented a feeling for me - connected to LXer, and I feel really sad now, even though I didn't knew how he looked. I can't remember he joined LXer, so he must have been around here longer than I have. I sure will miss his posts around. He was always around here, and one of the most frequent posters I think. I wish his family and friends the best. So long, Jim. |
| dcparris May 30, 2007 8:19 AM EDT |
Wow! I love dulcimers. Don't know how to play them, but love the sound! And thanks for the kind words, Kent. |
| devnet May 30, 2007 9:07 AM EDT |
I've known Jimf since 2003...when both he and I were actively supporting a small distro no one had heard of called MEPIS. I was with JimF and Josh when a new community website called dotmepis started up...and I was there when it shut down. I hung out on #debcentral in the beginning of things when it first launched...and I continued on associating with Jimf through Lxer.com I'm very sad at this loss. Not only was it a loss of a good and longtime friend...it is a loss to Linux and Open Source as a whole. My condolences to the family and friends. Jim will be missed and has left a massive impact on many of our lives. |
| devnet May 30, 2007 9:12 AM EDT |
For those that don't know, his blog is here: http://jimf-linux.blogspot.com/ His last post was on April 16th, 2007: http://jimf-linux.blogspot.com/2007/04/irc-linux-support-thr... |
| Bob_Robertson May 30, 2007 9:41 AM EDT |
"His last post was on April 16th, 2007:".... Argh! Black on blue! Unreadable. But that's what text highlighting is for sometimes, white on red is much easier to read. :^) Now let's see, I should have an IRC client around here somewhere.... |
| sgrant2 May 30, 2007 9:48 AM EDT |
My name is Susan Grant - I am Jim Farnsworth's sister. Kent gave me the link to this site so that I could read all the wonderful postings you have written about my big brother. Jim was 10 years older than me, and I've always looked up to him and loved him so much. We also have a sister, Kathy, who lives in Tampa, and our Mom (who is 87 years old) lives with my husband and I in New Port Richey, FL. Jim was born in Cooperstown, New York and we grew up in a small town named Delhi. He was a true artist, painting some unbelievably wonderful paintings, drawing sketches, carving statues - just about anything you can think of. We will treasure all those paintings and statues. Jim was an "individualist" and a loner for most of his life, and it is so wonderful for us to know that there are so many of you out there who cared about him. He often talked about all of you and your "connections" when he spoke with our Mom on the phone. You all meant so much to him, too. Jim passed away on Sunday, May 27, 2007 of complications from bacterial pneumonia. After being on a ventilator for almost 2 weeks, the doctors told us on Saturday that he was totally unresponsive and there was no brain activity. We had his ventilator turned off on Sunday, and he died very peacefully just 15 minutes later. He was 63 years old. Jim was preceded in death by our Father, Wilbur M. Farnsworth and by my son, Michael. I am sure that they were waiting with open arms for him. Thank you all again for your kind words. I will truly miss my "big brother". |
| dcparris May 30, 2007 10:21 AM EDT |
Hi Susan, Thanks for filling in even more of the blanks for us. I know all of us really appreciate you taking the time to tell us a little more about Jim. Can you tell us his Birthday? I would like to add that to my farewell article. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. |
| devnet May 30, 2007 12:36 PM EDT |
Some of Jim's wallpapers are also on display at debcentral: I remember back during the MEPIS times we would make lots of wallpapers for the mepis eyecandy website: http://debcentral.org/search.php?action=showallbyuser&mid=7&... |
| Scott_Ruecker May 30, 2007 1:20 PM EDT |
Devnet: That last post on his blog he had e-mailed me and asked me to look over to see if was "ready or not". It was ready, I told him. :-) |
| beirwin May 30, 2007 3:09 PM EDT |
I am very shocked by Jim's death. I will dearly miss his posts to LXer. He was a big part of the LXer family and it was his posts (any many others) that convinced me to join in. My thoughts are with his family during this hard time. Take care of each other. Barbara I. |
| devnet May 30, 2007 4:02 PM EDT |
My friend Josh, hosts Jim's website jimfarnsworth.com. He posted a link to Jim's guestbook and thought it might be fitting to sign the book. I'm posting that link here as I know he will always have tons of friends here. http://jimfarnsworth.com/guestbook/ |
| sgrant2 May 30, 2007 5:27 PM EDT |
Jim's birthday was July 9, 1943 |
| dcparris May 30, 2007 5:43 PM EDT |
Thanks Susan. I have amended my title to reflect that. For those who may not have seen it, the Tribute to Jim is here: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/87637/index.html |
| rijelkentaurus May 30, 2007 6:58 PM EDT |
A very nice tribute, Mr. Parris. |
| gus3 May 30, 2007 8:36 PM EDT |
In the words of St. Ambrose of Milan: "Laetandum magis est quod talem fratrem habuerimus quam dolendum quod fratrem amiserimus; illud enim munus, hoc debitum est." "We must rejoice to have had such a brother more than to grieve to have lost such a brother; the having was a gift, the losing was a debt honored." |
| davidwrahfeldt Nov 28, 2007 1:45 PM EDT |
Does anyone know where I can reach Jim Farnsworths sister and wife/SO/Family? Does anyone know where I can reach his best friend Russ Hilton? Many years ago when Russ and Jim were into mainframe computers - motorcycles - and glass blowing I knew them ... geez, was that really the 60's and 70's ? Wow ... how time passes ... David Seattle USA |
| davidwrahfeldt Nov 28, 2007 1:50 PM EDT |
With regard to the previous post my email is david.w.rahfeldt@gmail.com seeking email addresses for Jim's sister, SO, kids, family ... and for Russ Hilton and his family ... Lost touch with them a couple decades back ... Jim was back then in the 60's / 70's one of the brigther and more honorable folks I have ever met, and so it is sad indeed to hear that he met such a demise at such a young age ... "May he find delight in joining with the great architect of the universe" Silly sentiment ... perhaps ... Jim did like the esoteric and metaphysical though he seemed to speak little of it back then, except in moments of meloncholy ... or wild intellectual delight ... It was an honor to have known him. Truly so. David |
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