Daniel Roy Greenfeld
In early May of 2025 Michael Ryabushkin (aka Goodwill) passed away. He was a great friend and an even better person. I will miss him dearly.
Michael Ryabushkin and I met around 2011-2012 through Python community work. I don’t remember how we met, instead I remember his presence suddenly there, helping and aiding others.
Michael could be pushy. He was trying to help people reach their full potential. His energy and humor was relentless, I admired his tenacity and giving nature.
While our coding preferences usually clashed, sometimes they matched. Then we would rant together about some tiny detail, those talks plus the silly Tai Chi dance we did are lovely memories I have of Michael.
In 2016 my wife Audrey had emergency surgery. For me that meant sleepless days taking care of her. Suddenly Michael’s presence was there. He took shifts, ran errands (including buying a wheelchair), and forced me to sleep. I am forever grateful to Michael for what he did for us.
In early 2020 Audrey and I got last minute approval to use a large conference space to organize an event called PyBeach. Michael heard about it and as always, suddenly his presence was there. He was not just a volunteer at large, but leading the conference with us. Michael and I had our shared code rants, did our silly Tai Chi dance, and he met our baby daughter.
Between the pandemic and us moving from the Los Angeles area I didn’t get the chance to see Michael again. I’ll miss our rants, our silly Tai Chi dance, and his sudden appearances.
[](/public/images/goodwill.jpg)
SoCal Python has created a [memorial page in Michael’s honor](https://socalpython.org/in-memoriam-michael).
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