Richard Petnel Obituary

Petnel, Richard J. ALBANY Richard "Rick" J. Petnel, 56, passed away Friday, April 3, 2009 at St. Peter's Hospice Inn after a brief illness. Rick was born in Lansingburgh, N.Y., July 3, 1952, the son of the late Joseph and Marion Petnel. He has been a lifelong resident of the Capital District, residing in Colonie for the last 15 years. He was a machinist for MTI out of Albany for 19 years. Rick aka "Rick 752" was also very active and well known in the internet world. He spent a great deal of time maintaining the web page "Ad Block Plus" and was featured in a Washington Post article in connection with the same. Rick is survived by his devoted wife of 31 years, Debbie Petnel; loving daughter, Erin Petnel and her fianc? Dave Moore of Colonie; sister, Diane (John) Lia of Mulberry, Fla. He is also survived by 18 nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held Monday 7:00 p.m. at New Comer-Cannon Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Rd., Colonie (Rt. 155 south of Central Ave.) Calling hours will precede the service from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Community Hospice of Albany, 445 New Karner Rd., Albany, NY 12205. To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.NewcomerAlbany.com

Published by Albany Times Union on Apr. 5, 2009.
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Memories and Condolences
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RIP. Poland will miss you.

May 5, 2009

Rick you have changed the way we use the Internet R.I.P. for your hard work and time i wish i was able to meet you and give you so much thanks for the greatest extension and subscription list ever the Internet will never be the same without you!!!!

Angel Gonzalez

April 29, 2009

Diane,

I am so sorry to hear that your brother passed away. My sympathy to his family and you. Bob's mom

Mary Groff

April 27, 2009

My condolences to the Petnel's. Grew up across the street from Rick and his family in Lansingburg. Have lots of good, vivid memories - changing the oil on his red Renault 10, giving me a cassette tape of "Fragile" by the band Yes. He was always a giving human being and always ready and willing to lend a hand. May you rest in peace, Rick.

Tony Marvelli

April 20, 2009

Thank you for for everything you did to make things better for everyone surfing on the net.

R.I.P. rick 752 :(

April 20, 2009

I am very sorry we never knew each other over the yrs.but he was a cousin,I have 1 memory when I was a teenager.Very sorry for the loss,Kim Petnel

April 19, 2009

I didn't know Rick, but I just read about his death on the Ad Block Plus website, and thought I should write to say how his work on Ad Block Plus helped make my life (doubtlesly like millions of others) that little bit easier. Thanks Rick, RIP.

Sam Walker

April 19, 2009

I just know you Rick.You will be remembered.Your contribution to the Internet is something that will never be forgotten.Thanks.Rest in Peace.

Webcrawler

April 17, 2009

Thank you Rick for making the internet a better, more enjoyable experience.
Rest in Peace.

Nathan T

April 15, 2009

Very sorry for your loss, I didn't know Rick but I loved his list.

Jim Jones

April 13, 2009

God bless your family through this hard hard time! I never meet you but used your software! I hope to meet you in heaven one day.

Juju

April 13, 2009

I knew you because you were the mantainer of the EasyList in the AdBlock+ project..Rest in Peace mate, and keep up your good work in Heaven!
Manu - Italy

April 10, 2009

Even in this day and age, it is rare for one man to touch the hearts and lives of people all over the world. Richard Petnel shall be sorely missed; both for his work and for the person he was to so many of his friends and family.

His legacy will live on in the hearts and on the computers of many. During this difficult time, we strangers on the internet wish to express our regret for the passing of a great man. We also wish to pour out our support for you, his wife and family. We include you in our prayers and our thoughts as we struggle to gently express a sincere sentiment; "We care."

Chloe Easter

April 9, 2009

Rick was my brother-in-law and I loved him dearly. Lots of good memories.... When I was young I would stay at their house and I would keep him up talking for hours. My sister, him and I would say 'good night' but there was always 'one more thing' to say and it would keep us talking another hour. He was a smart guy and I loved to hear what he had to say. Besides being smart, he would always be happy. He always put a smile on my face. By the way, he was a great singer in his younger years as well. If anybody knew Earth, Wind and Fire, well, that was what Rick could sing - all those high notes. Smiling while he sang - he loved his music too. He's at peace now. My beloved sister, I'm always here for you, day or night.

K Howell

April 9, 2009

May you rest in peace. Condolences to the family.

Yacine C.

April 8, 2009

I am so very sorry for the loss of Richard.
I did not know him personally, but benefited from his work on AdBlockPlus. Gods speed dear Richard.

Derika

April 8, 2009

My heart goes out to all of his friend and family he was a true friend.

Oleg

April 7, 2009

Your efforts saved me hours and headaches, and has beyond that protected countless thousands from viruses and scams.

You were a true internet hero. Thank you, and godspeed to you and your survivors.

Jon Reed

April 7, 2009

Rick752's contribution to the Ff/internet world was major. My condolences to his family and friends.

E. C.

April 7, 2009

RICK, I WORKED WITH YOU FOR ALMOST 10 YRS. YOU TRULY ARE ONE OF A KIND. IN A GOOD WAY. YOUR LOVE FOR MOVIES, TV SHOWS, FAMILY GUY, AND ALL THINGS IN LIFE WAS FUN FOR ALL. WE AT MTI WILL MISS YOU. AND YOU WERE ALSO " MY FAVORITE MACHINIST".

TERRI CALLAHAN

April 7, 2009

I enjoyed the daily talks Rick and I had about the "stupid" things we both enjoyed. Rick was a master with movie quotes. I will miss him.
Jim

Jim

April 7, 2009

Raising a toast here to the memory of a great hero of the internet - he will be remembered. Thank you, Mr. Petnel, and good night.

J Mc

April 7, 2009

Rick,

Personally many of us never knew you but still you were considered a friend.

The Firefox /Adblock Plus community and the many users that follow in the coming years will always be indebted and appreciative of your pioneering and tireless ad filter work.

Godspeed my Internet friend and thank you again for always being there for us.

Marsman, Canada
BBR Forums Member

April 7, 2009

Rick - You will be missed. My condolences to the Petnel family.

Harlan Watkins

April 7, 2009

You have touched the lives of millions, and you will not be forgotten. God Bless you. Please accept my condolences to the Petnel family.

Aldrin Deloria

April 7, 2009

Thanks for all your hard work dude. We're gonna miss you!

Spooky

April 7, 2009

You did more for the internet than a million advertisers could ever do.

sjb

April 7, 2009

So sorry for your loss.

A GOOD FRIEND

April 7, 2009

You made the internet safe and easy to use again. You will be sorely missed.

Tristan

April 7, 2009

Hero to the online community, the world is a poorer place now.

April 7, 2009

Condolences. Thanks for freeing my personal space form the clutches of the market. RIP

Stu C

April 7, 2009

You made something I work with everyday more pleasant to use and a better tool in general. Few who have lived can look back and say that. Thank you for making my life a little easier. God bless.

Danner

April 7, 2009

May you rest in peace, we love you for whay you gave.
- India

Prabhakar reddy

April 6, 2009

True hero of the internet alright, one of the best programs I ever used on firefox. One thing you can never forget is a program that help you make you're first buck. Thank Richard, and thanks to the family that pushed him along in the hard time for him and kept him motivated.

~TommyKaine

Richard Sievert

April 6, 2009

May time bring peace to your family and friends...

And thank you Rick for your work as maintainer of the EasyList... your work made a lot of peoples lives a little bit better.

RIP to a good human.

P Screed

April 6, 2009

You were a true hero of the Internet. If someone asked me why I used Firefox, my answer would be "AdBlock Plus". Thank you for creating a plug-in that millions worldwide used and trusted on a daily basis. You made the Internet tolerable again.

Tony Smith

April 6, 2009

My condolences.

April 6, 2009

Rick, thank you for Adblock plus. RIP.

Shreyas

April 6, 2009

Ty for your hard work and determaination Richard.
I've used your ad block plus plugin since it's inception .

You'll be missed by many even though i never met you.


kevin

Kevin

April 6, 2009

Sincerest condolences to the family. He was one of the good guys.

Marley

April 6, 2009

like a child passing out flowers... Rick gave a little bit of happiness to MASSIVE amounts of people! what a life well spent! you can rest, because he certainly is at peace! be well, and take comfort!

Chris

April 6, 2009

By saving only a few minutes a day per person that many millions of people might otherwise have lost to the flashy, intrusive, popup time vampires of the Internet, Mr Petnel basically saved the equivalent of dozens of lives. Thank you Sir.

Mike R

April 6, 2009

I worked with Rick at MTI and he was always trying to improve the ad block filters. He will be missed. Paul S.

April 6, 2009

My condolences to his family and friends. May you take pride in the knowledge that Rick not only made the browsing the web a much better experience for myself and millions of other people, but also that he built a strong community that will continue his work now that he is gone.

Matt Podolsky

April 6, 2009

He did a great thing for the 'net. He was a great man. The internet feels his loss.

Taylor Lewis

April 6, 2009

Thank you for making the internet a more tolerable place
it's great not being sold to every 5 sec


Don Hays Dripping Springs Texas

Don Hays

April 6, 2009

dang....we lost another great one :-(

April 6, 2009

Thank you Rick. You helped make my Internet experience pleasant and useful again. You will be dearly missed. I hope the family is comforted by what I can only suppose will be thousands of notes like mine. Rick - you rawk!

Ed

April 6, 2009

A man i was never able to meet, may your legacy live on for eternity Richard, the internet will never be the same without you.

Shane

April 6, 2009

R.I.P. Rick. You will be missed.

-Ross KCMO

April 6, 2009

Very sad news indeed for all of us at DSLR and for his family. My heartfelt condolences to them. I never met Rick in person but he was unfailingly helpful and happy to respond to any queries or IMs I sent his way. He will be deeply missed by the countless numbers of us who had the benefit of his EasyList USA. Rest in peace Rick; I'm sure there's a place in heaven for good guys like you.

Matt

April 6, 2009

It's the small things in life that sometimes make's it bearable. Rick contributed something that helped many many people have a little bit better life. He shared it, and that shows the quality of his character something I use to take for granted in people. My heart goes out to his family. I'm sure he is in a better place.

Ray Rivera

April 6, 2009

Rick did more than his share to make the world a better place. Thanks, Rick!

Dennis Gentry

April 6, 2009

Thanks for Adblock plus. It's your latest and greatest work and used by everyone.

David C

April 6, 2009

Rick, although I have been using ABP for a while now never knew about You until today . Thanks to You, my web browsing experience has been a lot more smoother. Your rest is well deserved.

Karthik

April 6, 2009

My heartfelt condolences on Rick's passing to his immediate and internet family.

Rick, you will be missed by many.

Sarasvatia (LA, CA)

April 6, 2009

Rick, rest in peace, great man.
Condolences to the family, I'm sorry for your loss.

Driton

April 6, 2009

He made the internet a better place.

April 6, 2009

It is a terrible loss! I never met him, but the way he treated others on the Internet Forums, speak about a kind and sensitive person with a taste for treating and serving others.
Thank You very much Rick!!!

Enrique Diazruanova

April 6, 2009

Rick will be sorely missed by the Firefox community.

Brian

April 6, 2009

Erin and family,
We are so very sorry for your loss. May the support of your friends and families be a comfort for you.

ilona and andrew sapoznikov

April 6, 2009

Rick,

Thank you for all your efforts to make a better experience of surfing the internet with AdBlock EasyList. You will be remembered by many - on and off the internet!

My sympathy goes out to your dear family and loves ones.

Howard Chu

April 6, 2009

Sad to see you go, Richard. I never knew you but you certainly helped secure the internet community by helping build this really useful utility. My heart felt condolences to Richard's family. And, thank you Richard for your invaluable contribution.

Siddhartha Jain

April 6, 2009

Every person that ever used Adblock owes Richard a debt of gratitude for life. I'll be continuing use of the software, and hope someone else as good a person takes up the reigns and continues development.

Keith

April 6, 2009

Rick made the internet easier to use for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. I'm sorry I wasn't able to thank him for his contribution.

Graham

April 6, 2009

I never knew him personally, but he truly made millions of people happy through his work. Few can make such a claim! Goodbye, Rick.

John Smith

April 6, 2009

Rick, even though I never knew you, I did use the Adblock Plus Easy List which you maintained. You will be missed, not only from the people close to you but from the whole internet.

Stephen Weber

April 6, 2009

Like some others here, I only knew Rick from his dedicated work on Adblock Plus and from his always helpful responses on the forums. Despite the fact that his work has touched literally hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, he was always eager to help or offer a kind word and never acted like anyone was indebted to him even though that was certainly the case. I am very saddened by the news of his passing and wish to offer his family my sincere condolences. I will be keeping you in my prayers. God bless.

John

April 6, 2009

Thanks for all the work you have done over the years, you will be missed. My sincere condolence's to his family.

Mark AW

April 6, 2009

Thank you sir for all your hard work in helping to keep the net sane. My eyeballs owe you a huge debt of gratitude!

Clive Holloway

April 6, 2009

I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Rick personally, except for a few exchanges on message boards, but like many of the users of the Internet I was deeply appreciative of the time and effort he put into the Adblock Plus Block List, which is immensely valuable to those of us who spend time on the Internet. My sympathy goes out to his family and other survivors.

Steve Nyschot

April 6, 2009

I wish to express my condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Petnel. He was one the few people whose work genuinely helped many, many people he never knew. Those of us he helped were quite literally all over the globe. Thankyou very much!

david

April 6, 2009

This ma was a personal hero to me, as he drastically improved the quality of my life with Easylist and did so for millions of others. Rest in peace, the world is worse off without you.

Mick Russom

April 6, 2009

Dear Rick

Thanks for your wonderful contribution to the Internet. You'll live on in our memories and our browsers for ever and ever. May you rest in peace.

Saurabh Jain

April 6, 2009

I'm just one of the four million or so subscribers to Rick's EasyList, and I'm saddened that I never got a chance to thank him personally for his efforts. The fact that he never asked for anything in return for his work speaks volumes.

Pat Murphy

April 6, 2009

rick752 will always be remembered for making the Internet a better place; he spent his time to make a real difference for those of us on the 'net that he never saw, never knew. This is a token of condolence and gratitude from one of those unknowns out there.

Rick was a good man - he felt our pain on the 'net when he was still with us. We offer our sincere condolences to the family. We feel your pain, as he did ours. He will be fondly remembered for the good things that he did.

We share your sorrow now, as he did ours, when he was with us.

Un Known

April 6, 2009

Rick was a very animated man, who loved to tell stories. He could never really know how much he will be missed!

Sarah Roberts

April 6, 2009

Rick's passing is a loss that will be felt for a long time. He made a significant difference in this world and had a positive impact on the people he never met personally, but we all knew him well.
My condolences to his family.

Fred Rainford

April 6, 2009

A true loss to an internet giant. Prayers for the family and a thanks to a great man for all the work he did to make the internet a better place for us all

David M

April 6, 2009

Rick made life a bit better for hundreds of thousands of people every day, and that includes me. His contribution to adblock plus/easylist makes a real difference, and will continue to do so.
R.I.P.

Bert

April 6, 2009

AdblockPlus is always my first plugin download when I install Firefox somewhere.
Did not know Rick but feel very sorry for his family & relatives. I will think to this guy each time adding a wildcard in the plugin :-(
Any support us users can offer to the family? (Paypal or so?)

French Guy

April 6, 2009

My condolences to Rick's family - know that he contributed much to a greater good and will be remembered.
Thank you Rick!

April 6, 2009

Debbie and Erin:
I am so sorry about your husband and dad. His job on earth was done, and what an awesome job he did. He is now on to his new career, being your guardian angel. You are in my prayers.

Love, Annette

ANNETTE (LECUYER) THORPE

April 6, 2009

While I only knew Rick from his extraordinarily dedicated on-line work with his amazing EasyList Filters, and his help both at his own Forum, and at DslReports, I am shocked and deeply saddened by his passing.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Rick made great contributions to thousands, and thousands, and thousand of people all over the world, and did so with great delight, joy and humor.

Rick will be missed.

Sam

April 6, 2009

Rick was a great guy and made many contributions to the Firefox/Adblock Plus community. It is a sad loss to the us and a huge loss to the family he left behind. My condolences to the family at this difficult time.

Ryan B (aka Fanboy)

April 6, 2009

I'm so sorry for your loss. I knew Rick from the help he gave me in the forums on dslreports. He was always generous with his time.

James

April 6, 2009

I knew Rick only from interaction at the EasyList Forum and DSLR websites, where I just saw this news posted.
Nevertheless, I am shocked and deeply saddened to hear of his passing.
He was always an extremely helpful and congenial fellow, and with an excellent sense of humor.
I will personally miss him and his work, and the online community will be the worse for his absence.
I'm happy and proud to say I knew him, even if only online.

RIP Rick.
My deepest condolences to family and friends.

AB

April 6, 2009

Rick has been a great neighbor for 15 years. Always there with a smile and a story, and to lend a hand and chat with the kids when they were out on the front lawn playing. I will miss his company when I hang the Christmas lights, and his teasing "November is too early to put lights up!" Debbie and Erin, I am so sorry for your loss, keep each other close. Thanks again Rick, we could not have asked for a better neighbor.

Mary LaMountain

April 5, 2009

Erin,
I am so very sorry for your loss. I will always remember your dad as someone who was always trying to make us laugh (even when you thought he was embarrassing). Keep the good memories of your dad close by, they will help you get through these difficult times. If there is anything you need, let us know.

Jennifer and Joseph Hufland

April 5, 2009

Debbie, Erin and family,

It seems only yesterday I met you all when you were visiting John and Diane Lia here in Florida a number of years ago.

I have appreciated so much the work Rick did in helping design and set up our web page, Customized Flight Services, Inc. He was willing to work tirelessly and when help was needed, would spend endless hours on the phone and at the computer to work through the issues, We were honored to have him devote his expertise on our behalf and certainly the web site stands as a memorial to him. He was very talented and skilled.

May the grace of Christ our Savior
With the Father's boundless love
And the Holy Spirit's favor
Rest on you all from above.

Jim Scott

April 5, 2009

We've known Rick briefly and found that his smile filled our hearts with joy. You just had to smile back. May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

Kathy and Ted Naumowicz

April 5, 2009

I never met Rick personally but spoke with him many times though IM at DSLR about many things as we shared an interest in computers among other things. Rick liked to exchange jokes and lighthearted barbs and we always had a laugh.

He will be missed.

Greg

April 5, 2009

We had the pleasure of living across the street from Rick, Debbie & Erin for many years in Lansingburgh. They all were such a wonderful family always willing to help out whenever we needed it. We will never forget Rick's wonderful laughter! Our thoughts and prayers are with you Debbie & Erin, through this difficult time.

Mary & Theresa Lance

April 5, 2009

About 12 years ago I gave Rick the nick name “Tigger” (T-I double G-R) because he would always enter a room with a big smile, very animated with his gestures and his speech and “bouncing on his tail”. For the entirety of the 12 years that I have known Rick, that nickname has always applied. I will greatly miss him.

Becky Van Alstyne

April 5, 2009

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