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DANIEL WEINREB Obituary
53, of Lexington, Massachusetts, passed away on September 7, 2012, after a yearlong struggle with cancer. He was born on January 6, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised there by his parents, Herbert and Phyllis, who took extravagant pleasure in his childhood accomplishments. A born computer programmer before computers even existed, he wandered in the social wilderness until age 16, when he entered MIT. There, mainly at the Artificial Intelligence Lab, he made many lifelong friends and began a hugely successful career as a software architect and programmer. He fell in love with Cheryl Moreau, whom he married in 1986, and fathered his son Adam, whom he adored beyond measure, in 1991. Although he treasured the life of the mind, his greatest pleasure was spending time with his family and his countless friends, which he did at every opportunity. As a result, he lived joyfully and died without regrets, feeling that he had been as lucky as any man could be. Dan is survived by Cheryl, Adam, Herbert, and his brothers, Bill and David. The funeral is private, but a memorial service will be held in the coming weeks, date and time TBA. Donations in Dan's memory may be made to the Dan Weinreb Memorial Scholarship Fund at 83 Forest Street, Newton, MA 02461.
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rat xue
November 15, 2016
thanks for the encouragement & verification, you are missed still
Susan Mango
September 25, 2014
I just found this website, and would like to offer my belated condolences. I met Dan at Family Opera, where he discussed old movies and sang with enthusiasm. He is missed.
Steven Thomas
January 8, 2014
Dan, you touched so many of us with your rare blend of humidity and brilliance. my heartfelt condolence to your family.
Tim Chippington Derrick
January 3, 2013
Never met Daniel, but I spent a good many years digging about in Symbolics machines, and his name keeps coming up in the software. Shocked to hear he was just one year older than me - I assumed that someone with such insight must have been older. Yet another person who I think I would have got on with really well, and the comments I have seen seem to back that up. His work made the world a brighter place for me, thousands of miles away, even though we never met and he would have never heard of me; the same must be true for many others. The world is a poorer place for the loss of people like Daniel.
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Alastair Duncan
October 12, 2012
Dammit Dan if I could just have you back for another day I would give it all :(
Thank you for all the wonderful exchanges over email regarding Lisp and your help & insight in regards to circumventing issues around my Dyslexia so that I could just get on with programming.
Glad & Thankful your not suffering now though mate. Go easy!
Brad Parker
October 10, 2012
Dan was always so nice and so helpful. I'll never forget when he dug some old CADR tapes out of his basement and we sat in his house sorting them as his son looked on asking "what are *those*?" (the 9-track tapes).
I will miss you Dan. Thanks for being so kind.
-brad
Marianne Farkas
October 3, 2012
We knew Dan in a totally different context-that of the world of music and theater. He and his family brought companionship, skill, enthusiasm and laughter to our many hours of rehearsal and performance in the community of the North Cambridge Family Opera Company. My daughter and I are truly saddened to learn of his passing. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Cheryl and Adam
September 25, 2012
So sorry to hear this bad news I remember him well and was pleased to learn he had had a full life Colette Rossant
Anne Silverstein
September 13, 2012
I graduated with Danny from high school. He was easily the most brilliant kid in our class, and if, as the obituary says, he was wandering in the social wilderness, it was only because he was two years younger than we were, and his thoughts were among the stars. He was kind, and gentle and he was admired by his classmates more than he knew. (And I told him this at a class reunion.) And I always knew he'd be a success, both academically and socially, once he got to a place where he could be among his equals, and he was. I am shocked by this news more than I can express. My condolences to his whole family.
David Schatsky
September 13, 2012
Dan was an inspiration to many people. May his memory be for a blessing.
Kathy Finn
September 12, 2012
Dear Cheryl,
I am writing on behalf of the BMC knitting group. We are deeply saddened to hear about the death of your husband Daniel. Although we did not know him, from everything we have read and from what we learned when you spoke about him at group, he seem like a wonderful, generous and amazing person just like you. Please know you and Adam are in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. Hold onto the good memories and know we are by your side.
Kathy Finn, Bob David and all the BMC knitting group members
Lisa Underkoffler
September 10, 2012
Dan will be missed. His creative energy and spirit always made conversations with him so much fun and truly interesting. My sympathies to Cheryl and his family.
Bernard Greenberg
September 10, 2012
Dan was a giant- a beacon, a shining star and inspiration, not only in the worlds of Lisp and computers, but in the hearts of the countless friends whose undying love, friendship, and joy he earned. To have worked, dined, laughed, listened, and learned with Dan was an honor. The cosmos of his friends and colleagues is left ever wounded and irretrievably deeply diminished by his tragic premature loss.
Elizabeth Stone
September 9, 2012
May his memory be a blessing.
David Stryker
September 9, 2012
Dan was a warm, wonderfully interesting friend, and brilliant computer engineer. We worked together at Symbolics, and co-founded Object Design. Dan will be sorely missed.
My heartfelt condolences to Cheryl and Adam.
Dieter Hovekamp
September 8, 2012
I'm glad for the times our path crossed, thank you and farewell, Dan.
Hans Hübner
September 8, 2012
It was a honor to have met Dan - Both for being a great Lisp hacker and a exceptionally nice person. So sad he has passed.
Jim Scott
September 8, 2012
I am so saddened at hearing this. I had the pleasure of working with Dan and sharing many a lunch. He was respected and liked. We are a more diminished world without him.
Gary King
September 8, 2012
He'll be missed.
James Dempsey
September 7, 2012
So sorry to hear of Dan's passing. I had a great respect for him and his work on the Lisp Machine and Common Lisp. Our kids were at Children's Village together and was very pleased to run into him last year at the Mass Tech Leadership Council's Unconference. He will be missed.
Kent Pitman
September 7, 2012
Dan was such a rare blend of smart and capable yet humble and kind. Like many, I'm richer for having known him.
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