We would like to share with you the sad news, that Rob Collins has passed away earlier this month, on November 2nd, after a short but intense illness.
Many of you may know Rob from the sponsored massage sessions he regularly ran at EuroPython in recent years and which he continued to develop, taking them from a single man setup (single threaded process) to a group of people setup by giving workshops (multiprocessing) and later on by passing on his skills to more leaders (removing the GIL) to spread wellness and kindness throughout our conference series.
His massages regularly raised more than a thousand dollars which were donated to the Python Software Foundation (PSF) to do even more good.
Rob also gave a lot of thoughtful talks at the EuroPython conferences, always very cheerful, full of humor and many good insights. Here’s a selection:
- EuroPython 2015: DumbDev – eight rules for dumb development
- EuroPython 2015: Lightning Talk announcing the Python Massage Foundation
- EuroPython 2013: TDM Test Driven Madness
- EuroPython 2012: An introduction to his neck and and shoulder massages
- EuroPython 2011: Pricing products using Python graphs and sets
Rob was a true Pythonista from the heart. He will always be remembered for his humor, great spirit and kindness.
You were such a cheerful person. We will miss you, Rob.
Thank you for all the inspiration,
–
Your friends from the EuroPython community