Farewell to PhysicsForums Member Negitron

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The discussion centers around the tragic passing of a valued member of the Physics Forums community, known as "negitron" or Michael Bell. Members express their deep sadness and condolences, reflecting on his contributions and the impact he had on the forum. Michael was recognized as a "Science Advisor" shortly before his death, highlighting his expertise and engagement in discussions, particularly in electrical engineering. Many members share personal anecdotes, emphasizing his intelligence, humor, and kindness. The community discusses sending condolences to his family, with one member, berkeman, taking the initiative to send a sympathy card that acknowledges Michael's contributions and the community's appreciation for him. Michael's sister later responds, expressing gratitude for the community's support and sharing her brother's exceptional qualities. The thread captures a profound sense of loss and the importance of community in times of grief.
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  • #32
OmCheeto said:
I teased him that we only wanted positive members to chat with. He of course understood the play on his name and said something about being positive in a negative universe.

I think I remember this moment :sad:
 
  • #33
negitron was a HAM radio operator, so our home addresses are public. I got a card today, and will send it to his home address, to his family. I'll post here the note that I send -- it will be a pointer to this thread, plus how we felt about Michael. I hope that the family will get some good feelings about how much Michael contributed here, and how we felt about him.
 
  • #34
berkeman said:
negitron was a HAM radio operator, so our home addresses are public. I got a card today, and will send it to his home address, to his family. I'll post here the note that I send -- it will be a pointer to this thread, plus how we felt about Michael. I hope that the family will get some good feelings about how much Michael contributed here, and how we felt about him.
Very nice Berkemen, thank you.

I'm sure his family will be happy to know that he was so highly regarded.
 
  • #35
berkeman said:
negitron was a HAM radio operator, so our home addresses are public. I got a card today, and will send it to his home address, to his family. I'll post here the note that I send -- it will be a pointer to this thread, plus how we felt about Michael. I hope that the family will get some good feelings about how much Michael contributed here, and how we felt about him.

That's a wonderful and thoughtful idea, berkeman...thanks for doing that :smile:!
 
  • #36
lisab said:
That's a wonderful and thoughtful idea, berkeman...thanks for doing that :smile:!

Yeah, I completely agree. :)
 
  • #37
berkeman said:
negitron was a HAM radio operator, so our home addresses are public. I got a card today, and will send it to his home address, to his family. I'll post here the note that I send -- it will be a pointer to this thread, plus how we felt about Michael. I hope that the family will get some good feelings about how much Michael contributed here, and how we felt about him.
You're a good guy berkeman. Thanks for doing this. I helps me deal with the lose as well.
 
  • #38
I mailed a sympathy card along with this letter tonight to Michael's home address. I hope his family gains some solace from Michael's strong participation here on the PF. RIP, Michael.

To the Family of Michael Bell,

I (and the whole PhysicsForums community) would like to express our condolences for the passing of Michael.

We had the pleasure of getting to know Michael as the PF user “negitron” (a play on the word "electron"). His avatar picture showed his playful nature -- a kitten in a comforter:

<< Note: see the PDF for the full note with the picture >>

He was especially active in posting in the Electrical Engineering forum (where I'm a Moderator and Mentor), and in the General Discussion forum. He and I are both HAM radio operators, so that was one reason that negitron and I spoke often via the forum mail system.

We will miss his intelligence, humor, and positive attitude very much. Whenever I saw that he had posted an answer to a question in the forum, I knew that the answer would be of great quality, and that he was really helping the person who was asking the question. He sure knows his stuff!

We have a thread in the General Discussion forum about Michael (a.k.a. negitron). I think you would feel good seeing how much Michael meant to us, and how many people he touched through the PF website. You can get to the thread by going to www.PhysicsForums.com, clicking on the Search link at the top of the page, and typing in negitron. The thread is titled "Very sad news", which is definitely what it was when we learned of his passing. You can also get to the thread directly by typing this address into your web browser:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=345983

If you do that search on Michael's user name "negitron", you will get a list of threads that he has posted in. It's quite a few -- 837! When you see a post by him in a thread, you can click on the underlined negitron name, and that will let you select to view his profile, or view his other posts. I think you will feel good seeing how much he shared his knowledge with others here at the PF. You will also see that he had earned the "Science Advisor" medal, which signifies the high quality of the level of the help that he provided others here at the PF.

We certainly will miss him. Condolences and best wishes to his family.

Mike Berke KI6EGL
("berkeman" at the PF)
 

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  • #39
This is so touching berkeman, it sums up how much we all love him. I hope this will help his family deal with the loss.
 
  • #40
waht said:
This is so touching berkeman, it sums up how much we all love him. I hope this will help his family deal with the loss.

Yeah thanks for doing this berke :)
 
  • #41
berkeman said:
I mailed a sympathy card along with this letter tonight to Michael's home address. I hope his family gains some solace from Michael's strong participation here on the PF. RIP, Michael.

Thanks for doing this. It is a good note.
 
  • #42
One small thing. Unless they sign up they won't be able to see his profile.
 
  • #43
Ah, did not know that. Thanks.
 
  • #44
This is very sad. It's horrible to see PF loose a member, since this forum is what it is because of the great people that decide to be a part of it.

Negitron will be missed. Sad day.
 
  • #45
berkeman said:
Ah, did not know that. Thanks.

Hopefully if his family decide to read this thread they will see my note.
 
  • #46
Rest in peace, dear good man :frown:
 
  • #47
I just received a PM from Michael's sister. She received the card, and came to the PF to read this thread. Here's part of the PM she sent me.

I am Michael's sister. I just received your card and letter and wanted to thank you for your kind words and actions. My brother was an exceptional person with intelligence that just blew you away. He was kind, passionate, and had an old soul.

Please let everyone know on this forum how important their words were and that our family truly appreciates it. Please embrace your life and try to be kind to all those around you because you never know when our journey will come to an end. Thank you.
 
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  • #48
berkeman said:
I just received a PM from Michael's sister. She received the card, and came to the PF to read this thread. Here's part of the PM she sent me.

I am Michael's sister. I just received your card and letter and wanted to thank you for your kind words and actions. My brother was an exceptional person with intelligence that just blew you away. He was kind, passionate, and had an old soul.

Please let everyone know on this forum how important their words were and that our family truly appreciates it. Please embrace your life and try to be kind to all those around you because you never know when our journey will come to an end. Thank you.

I'm at a loss of words, this is very touching.
 
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  • #49
eventhough i am newbie here; i personally indeed have great regards and respect for this forum and the members; although i haven't encountered with the any of the post from esteemed pf contributor negitron before this, i feel a sense of loss :( after going through the entire post. May his soul rest in peace. We all miss u!
 
  • #50
Chapeau bas, Berkeman.
 
  • #51
Thank you for the update berkeman.
 
  • #52
That's very nice, berkeman.
 
  • #53
berkeman said:
I just received a PM from Michael's sister. She received the card, and came to the PF to read this thread. Here's part of the PM she sent me.

berkeman, it was so thoughtful of you to send that card. Thanks so much, I'm so glad his family got to see this thread.

Please embrace your life and try to be kind to all those around you because you never know when our journey will come to an end.

Very wise words.
 
  • #54
Thanks, Berkeman, for giving Michael's family an opportunity to see how much he meant to so many people here. I hope they can find some small comfort from knowing he was so highly regarded here.
 

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