In memory of NEWZED (Sid)
On April 7th, just a few minutes after midnight, my grandfather peacefully slipped away in his sleep.· He was eighty-five years old.
As a young man, Sid was fascinated with electronics and after he graduated from his rural Kansas high school in 1940, he joined the United States Navy as an enlisted·radioman.· He spent World War II in the back seat of a dive bomber and then moved on to Naval Intelligence (secure communications) assignments in Peru and Australia after the war.· He·later earned an officer's·commission and finished his career as a nuclear weapons officer at the height of the Cold War.
After retiring from the Navy, Sid continued working with electronics in both sales and the manufacturing of circuit boards.· Eventually, he retired (again) from the workforce·to pursue his hobbies.· Those hobbies included model trains (controlled by his custom-designed circuits, of course), designing and building circuit boards for customers across the country, and even building small robots.· I never knew what he would be tinkering with when I came to visit, but he never failed to amaze me with the curiosity and drive he exhibited at an age when most people begin to slow down.· Electronics·truly was his lifelong passion.
Many of you knew my grandfather from·the thousands of posts he made on these forums during the last few years.· I know he had many friends here and greatly enjoyed talking with and helping people.· It was something that he missed during the last few months of his illness.
Some of you may have been close to Sid and this message may come as an unpleasant shock to you.· If so, then I apologize.· It's difficult for me to identify all of his online friends, but this forum was suggested to me as a way to reach many of them.· I hope you'll take comfort as I do in the knowledge that Sid lived a very full life and died a very peaceful death.
While this is perhaps not the most appropriate location within the Parallax Forums to post this, I couldn't find a better one . . . and my grandfather used the BASIC Stamp program more than any other.· Hopefully, the forum moderators will forgive me.· Thank you.
As a young man, Sid was fascinated with electronics and after he graduated from his rural Kansas high school in 1940, he joined the United States Navy as an enlisted·radioman.· He spent World War II in the back seat of a dive bomber and then moved on to Naval Intelligence (secure communications) assignments in Peru and Australia after the war.· He·later earned an officer's·commission and finished his career as a nuclear weapons officer at the height of the Cold War.
After retiring from the Navy, Sid continued working with electronics in both sales and the manufacturing of circuit boards.· Eventually, he retired (again) from the workforce·to pursue his hobbies.· Those hobbies included model trains (controlled by his custom-designed circuits, of course), designing and building circuit boards for customers across the country, and even building small robots.· I never knew what he would be tinkering with when I came to visit, but he never failed to amaze me with the curiosity and drive he exhibited at an age when most people begin to slow down.· Electronics·truly was his lifelong passion.
Many of you knew my grandfather from·the thousands of posts he made on these forums during the last few years.· I know he had many friends here and greatly enjoyed talking with and helping people.· It was something that he missed during the last few months of his illness.
Some of you may have been close to Sid and this message may come as an unpleasant shock to you.· If so, then I apologize.· It's difficult for me to identify all of his online friends, but this forum was suggested to me as a way to reach many of them.· I hope you'll take comfort as I do in the knowledge that Sid lived a very full life and died a very peaceful death.
While this is perhaps not the most appropriate location within the Parallax Forums to post this, I couldn't find a better one . . . and my grandfather used the BASIC Stamp program more than any other.· Hopefully, the forum moderators will forgive me.· Thank you.
Comments
Ray
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<FONT>Steve
What's the best thing to do in a lightning storm? "take a one iron out the bag and hold it straight up above your head, even God cant hit a one iron!"
Lee Travino after the second time being hit by lightning!
I'll miss reading his thoughtful and informed comments as will many others here.
phil
I remember well many threads where Sid both asked and answered questions and often ended up heading out to his workshop to build something everyone else was just talking about. ADCs, memory, math, mechanics, science, and onward, Sid was interested in it all. Once Sid built things, he was still not content, but went on to turn it into a small-scale commercial enterprise. There was the Stamp Tester and the "piggyback" boards.. Not so much to make money, I'm sure, but to share his handiwork and to keep active and involved. And of course there was his pride and joy, the super mill. He turned it into a PCB etching mill, and programmed it to mill traces from the copper foil, first using a Stamp as the controller, and then he lept right into the Propeller to make it happen. And you could feel the excitement in his posts when he reported success or his frustration when things weren't working out, yet.
I think he must have been a great grandfather and I can believe that he will be sorely missed by his entire family. And he also will be missued here and I for one will remember him very fondly.
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Tracy Allen
www.emesystems.com
You will be missed by all.
[noparse]:([/noparse]
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Did you know that 111,111,111 multiplied by 111,111,111 equals 12345678987654321 ?
www.iElectronicDesigns.com
·
Sid surely helped many on the forums and he will be missed.
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Tom Sisk
http://www.siskconsult.com
·
Thank you very much for remembering Sid's "playmates" on the forum! He will be missed by us all.
Paul Shahood
Sid was one-of-a-kind, whom many of us only meet once in our lives. He was a testament to hard work, and he was dedicated to everything that he did.
He and I arrived on these Stamp Forums at about the same time. This was when the BS-2 had been introduced, just as a matter of reference. We both grew into the Stamp hobby, and helped each other along. He knew more about the circuitry end, and I was more adept at programming. This made for a great combination whenever we needed a sounding board for some of our crazy ideas. Some ideas worked, and others didn't, but we had fun trying.
Indeed he will be missed, and we all feel his loss. My heart goes out to his family as well, and to you (his grandson) most of all. THANK YOU for letting us share your grandfather, and we're all the better for knowing him.
With deepest sympathy,
Bruce Bates
It must have been a great adventure for you to visit him as you were growing up!
Our time on this forum only overlapped by a few months, yet in that time he helped me tremendously both on the forum and via e-mail. He was a truly generous man who did not hesitate to help those of us in need.
Not only is this the perfect place to relay the news of the passing of a great man--a man that actively helped shape the great nation we take for granted today--it is a testament to you as his grandson to remember his friends in cyber-space that have been wondering and thinking of him.
--Bill Chennault
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You are what you write.
regards
Jeff
Bill Chennault
This is·the perfect place to relay the news of the passing of a great man
This is the right Place
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I am sad by the news but I am glad that you took the time to share it with us
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I also think of him when I use the Data Logger that he built for me that we use here where I work which still works very well
I enjoyed reading NEWZED·post on the Forum and the project that he was working and thing that he would ask
He will be missed
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··Thanks for any·
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Sam
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Chris Savage
Parallax Tech Support
We in the Education Department had the pleasure of working with Sid on many projects, some of them his and some of them for Parallax. In fact, you will find Sid Weaver's name in print as a Special Contributor in several of our Stamps in Class books, as he was always ready to volunteer as a beta-tester for our new products. His contributions, spirit, and generosity will be sorely missed.
-Stephanie Lindsay
Editor, Parallax Inc.
Chris I.
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
1uffakind.com/robots/povBitMapBuilder.php
1uffakind.com/robots/resistorLadder.php
into town to a drug store that still had old-style soda fountains. He couldn't believe
that they still existed. I'm sorry to hear he won't be coming 'round.
Rest In Peace, Sid. All the heartfelt condolences to his family and friends! ;-(
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-Rusty-
--
Rusty Haddock <=> AE5AE
**Out yonder in the Van Alstyne (TX) Metropolitan Area**
Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking
Within Parallax Sid's projects were always known and we spoke with him many times through the recent years. We have much respect for Sid because of his enthusiasm for electronics at 80+ years of age and his appreciation for simply being alive. He demonstrated to us the right way to grow old.
The last time I talked with Sid we sent him a bunch of RFID tags for a hobby project, about the time the last big hurricane came ripping through Florida.
Thank you for taking the the time to find the forums and share the information of his passing.
Sincerely,
Ken Gracey
I am deeply saddened by the loss of Sid.· He's been an active Parallax customer since almost "day one" for me here at Parallax.· In the early years I spent a lot of pleasant time with him on the phone and over email discussing his questions and projects; it was always enjoyable for me.·
And to find out how he has served us (our country) way before I was ever conceived is touching and brings even more honor to his name.
We will miss you, Sid.·
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--Jeff Martin
· Sr. Software Engineer
· Parallax, Inc.
Sid and his whole generation lived through incredible times. I truly think they saw and created more change in their lifetimes then what any future or past generation could ever dream of. I wonder if Sid even had electricity growing up? Many from his generation can fondly remember the day getting it. Possibly not having electricity as a youth, to be a nuclear technician later in life; incredible.
Take Care Sid.
I'm so sad to hear that he never recovered from his illness. Some knew him for a while through this and other forums, but I only knew him for a short while and as far as I'm concerned he was a GREAT guy.
Thanks Sid...my prayers are with you and your family.
Rest in Peace SID.
God bless you Sid's grandson, and my prayers with you!
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~Swimming in·the ocean·of Electronic Engineering~
Our prayers are with you.
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Dave Andreae
Parallax Tech Support·
I have been blessed even though I didn't meet him personally.
My condolences to your families.
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Shawn Lowe
Maybe I should have waited to do that......
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Paul Baker
Propeller Applications Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Sorry to hear the sad news of his passing.
I would like to pass on my respects to an obviously extremely nice person, and a wonderful servant to his country.
We have our annual ANZAC memorial day·here in Australia tomorrow (25th April). We set aside the day to remember those who fought,·and made it possible for us to enjoy the quality of life we have today. We are forever in debt to them.
Sid is one of these wonderful people, and we say thanks.
You must be very proud of him, you·would have some wonderful memories that will last forever.
RIP Sid,
Lest we forget.
Regards,
Chris Anderson.
Western Australia.
my prayers with you.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift.
That is why they call it the present.
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Tracy Allen
www.emesystems.com