Author of the Karen’s Power Tools Newsletter and fellow computer programmer, Karen Kenworthy, died on April 12, 2011.
Karen was one of my first customers at Vigoris Technologies. I had the pleasure of visiting the KarenWare global headquarters to help reconfigure her router and servers when she switched to my DSL service.
In 2009, while I was homeless, I received an email from Karen asking how to reconfigure something else. She wanted to pay me, but I only spent 5 minutes writing an email, so I said I couldn’t charge a friend for that…
I received this letter a few days later:
Joe Winett
c/o Salvation Army Shelter
200 E 9th Street
Shawnee, OK 74801-7004Dear Joe,
I hope this letter finds you in time for Thanksgiving. That’s because I want to say thanks for your help with my network cutover. Your advice and encouragement helped make the cutover smooth and successful. Since that day, the new network has worked perfectly — just as you predicted!
I know we discussed compensation for your help. And you were kind enough to offer your help purely as a friend. I was touched by that offer and greatly appreciate it.
But I also know that you have many needs, some of which can be helped by a little money. That’s why I’m hoping you’ll accept the small amount enclosed with this note. It might help you move into an apartment a little earlier, or provide something you need or would enjoy. Please think of it as my offer of help, purely as a friend.
I hope you have a comfortable and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday. I’ll be thinking about you as I sit down to dinner with my parents and friends, and offer a prayer. I hope it won’t be long before you fully enjoy the same blessings, as you continue the hard work of “debugging and upgrading” your valuable life (something we all have to do).
Your friend and loyal customer,
(signed “Karen”)
Karen Kenworthy
And Karen also sent a donation to the Salvation Army in Shawnee along with a letter saying she appreciated what they were doing for me and the others there. She was kind enough to add that I was one of the best computer programmers she knew.
In February of 2010 she emailed me saying that she had almost dropped in on me recently because she was with friends not far from Shawnee looking at a hunting lease. We traded a couple more emails and then she said she might be in town that April and we should get together. I was looking forward to it.
April came and went. She didn’t reply to my next emails — I was afraid she might be sick.
Her last newsletter was sent in March, 2010.
Karen has personally touched tens of thousands of lives.
That’s all I want to say about that. 🙁
You can see Karen’s work at http://www.karenware.com/
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