On the evening of Wednesday, 18th February 2015, The Spamhaus Project lost a long-time friend and member of its team. A spam fighter from deep in the trenches, Ellen R. was known to many in this community for her earlier role at SpamCop. Fewer knew of her contributions at Spamhaus: After her retirement she came to work as a volunteer with us. Her efforts helped stop billions of spams from reaching billions of people's mailboxes.

In addition to her work at SpamCop and Spamhaus, Ellen participated in anti-spam discussion fora, helped end-users learn how to cope with spam, and taught many senders the essential skills they need to keep their bulk mailings free of spam. She was nothing short of ferocious when dealing with unrepentant spammers who crossed her professional path. She attended at least one M³AAWG conference, and is most fondly remembered by her colleagues as a behind-the-scenes powerhouse and a good friend. Her passing was recognized by M³AAWG Chair Chris Roosenraad at the closing session in San Francisco with a moment of silence followed by applause throughout the conference hall.

Her life made the world a better place, especially for those in this community, and she will be missed.