Remembrance Speech

Yi Luo 1955 – 2007
Remembrance

Family, Colleagues, Friends, and Admirers of Yi.
Can I say first to Yi’s family how much we share in your loss. All of Yi’s wonderful qualities you experienced within the family were also very much a part of our privileged experience of Yi as a friend and colleague. I feel it an honor to be here to come and say a final goodbye to a great colleague and a wonderful friend.
Yi was universally admired, respected, and loved. His grace, generosity, wisdom, patience, respect, balance, integrity, and compassion showered upon those of us fortunate enough to have interacted with him. These qualities transcended his professional career, but, unsurprisingly, they are evident there too. The tributes from his colleagues make that so clear. We loved him, not just because he was a great engineer, but because he cared.
And he was… He was a great engineer with a knack for problem solving, and attention to details that is inspirational. As one of his colleagues wrote: “He was a pivotal piece that many do not know. When we released a new product, Yi knew the pieces to make it happen seamlessly.”

But more importantly, he cared and spent from his own time to get a release out, or help a colleague solve a problem. In return, many of his colleagues felt compelled to recommend him for some form of recognition or another. But the truth is Yi was not doing it for the reward and that’s why we all loved him. I take comfort in the fact that the products he helped release have far reaching and positive effects on people’s lives everywhere; whether it is connecting family members together or helping Doctors reach isolated parts of the world.
I can’t help but think that his choice for a career was a reflection of his kindness and desire to help. It came as no surprise to me when I learned that he found comfort in logging-in to work to try to help right before he checked into the hospital

I was truly touched by the flurry, and content of condolence and tribute emails that came through from all his colleagues and friends. I was further touched by offers of help and support. It confirmed to me that kindness and good deeds can never be forgotten (and by the way, a compilation of some these emails is being shared with the family). One colleague wrote him a poem:

That night
You stayed up late
Not for money or fame
But for the convenience of the team
That weekend
You stayed online
Not for entertainment
But for the last build of the release

That year
You joined Netscreen
Not just for a job
But also for the success of the company

That life
You moved from country to country
Not for your reputation
But for a better life for your children

That minute
You held my hand firmly
Not just to say goodbye
But also used up your last energy

That moment
You kept tears in your eyes
Not for the pain
But for teaching us the lesson of life

I wish I could read to you every tribute I have received. It has been so hard for me to prepare this remembrance, because every time I sat down to read my emails, the tributes moved me to tears. Personal experiences of kindness, courtesy, and grace; of encouragement to others and modesty; of inspirational teaching and extraordinary impact; relentless examples of his good sense and the genuine pleasure he took in what he did; of his humanity, and commitment; his integrity, his warmth, and his humility; his intellectual and moral stature; his professionalism, his positive approach, and his honesty; his selflessness, his generosity, and his dignity; his empathy, and his friendship. What an astonishing catalogue of characteristics; what a role model; what a treasure.

I will forever be grateful to have known Yi. I will forever be grateful for spending 4 years of my life with a friend like him. All the memories I have shared with him will forever be cherished and remembered. Yi will forever live in my heart… In our hearts.

A sad occasion like this demands that we stop and think about deeper things—why are we doing what we do, what are our goals, and what contribution can we make? The answer is different for every individual, but Yi’s life stands as an inspiration. We mourn his loss, but we celebrate his life—a special person who always made others feel special. That is overwhelmingly how we will remember him and we should all be thankful that we were given the chance to have known a man named Yi.

Omar Ansari

October 21, 2007