Saturday, October 2, 2010

In Loving Memory of Avi Wald 2/Apr/1949 - 27/Sep/2010

Avi Wald has passed away on September 27, 2010 following over two and a half years of battling Glioblastoma Multiform IV (GBM), the most common and violent form of brain cancer. Without him, Colnect would never have existed. While there is a lot that can be written about Avi and his life, this post will focus solely on his connection to Colnect and the world of collecting.





Avi started collecting after fourth and youngest son, Uri, asked him to help his phone card collection. At first he just helped Uri by looking for used phone cards left on public phones but he soon became interested in the phone cards themselves and started collecting together with Uri.

As Avi's collection kept growing and he became a serious collector his second son, Ofer, created Islands Phonecards Database for phone card collectors. Ofer wanted his father to use the Internet more and has thus created a site to allow Avi to manage his phone card collection and easily swap phone cards with collectors the world over. Islands Phonecards Database gained popularity with phone card collectors as it offered them free online catalog of phone cards and means to communicate with each other.

Avi's third son, Amir, later took control over Islands Phonecards Database from Ofer and transformed it into Colnect. The phone card catalog started growing quickly with the help of Colnect's community and Avi spent hours a day in front of Colnect updating his personal collection (with over 25,000 different phone cards from 171 countries marked on Colnect!) and interacting with fellow collectors. He was always honest and generous in dealing with other collectors. Some of them became Avi's friends. Even as Colnect progressed to include more collectible categories, Amir had frequently consulted Avi.





Avi's phone card collection is presented in several videos about Colnect


At the end of February 2008, the whole family was shocked when Avi was diagnosed with GBM. The grim prognosis of GBM meant that half the patients in Avi's condition died within 11.2 months of initial diagnosis. Despite this and other medical issues which soon surfaced, Avi always tried to keep his and his family's spirits up high. He never gave up on his phone card collection and kept in touch with other collectors. Even as his condition worsened, he still tried to attend collector meetings.


Avi died at the age of 61, leaving behind his wife Aliza, his sons Dror, Ofer, Amir and Uri and his grandchildren Raz, Yuval, Almog, Inbar and Zohar. May he rest in peace and may his fantastic character always inspire us.

31 comments:

  1. Avi was known to me since i started collecting phonecards for msny years. He was a true and honest collector.He treated any swap or phonecrds deal as a gentelman being honest and fair. I will miss him as a friend and as a collector. David Greenspan(shark)

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  2. Baruch dayan emet. Thinking of you and your family. Daniel Sevitt

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  3. I am really very very sorry to learn his died. I knew him on 11/2006 first time and we changed 6 times our cards to date. We sent e-mails to each other. He was a real gentleman and a perfect friend. He was a great and honest collector.One time,I met with him at Taksim in istanbul and talked about a lot of subjects. I will allways miss him. Sleep in peace Avi. Many sincere regards & greetings to his lovely wife Aliza and to childeren from istanbul.
    Leymin1 - ismet Gorgun

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  4. Amir,

    You wrote beautifully. I'm sure Avi will be remembered also by the collectors community, who may have not met him personally, but were surely inspired by his honesty, openness and friendly habits as a collector.
    May he rest in peach and may you know no more sorrow.

    All the best to you and the family,
    Noy

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  5. Sentite Famiglia Alla cordoglianze , dispiaciuto per la Scomparsa di avi.
    Possa riposare in pace Che
    antonio -italia

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  6. I was lucky to meet Avi through Amir, and even though I'm not a collector myself, I was inspired by the collectors' passion (especially when I learned that Avi had some Namibian telephone cards!) and I was blessed to spend an evening with him and his family, learning what makes collectors tick. I will never look at a telephone card in the same way. Or anything collectible for that matter. Thank you Amir and Avi :) Love from Namibia. Marita.

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  7. Avi Wald was a generous man with I had the pleasure to swap some cards. As a collector, Avi always wanted the best as any serious collector.
    I don't know him personaly, but I'm sure that he was a good husband and a good father who left us too soon.
    My condolences to the family and thanks Avi for your great contribution on behalf of collectors. Rest in peace.
    Joaquim Campos (campos58)

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  8. Amir,
    Deepest sympathy to you and your family. I've just lost my grandpa this early September, so I understand your feeling quite well now. There they are in a peaceful and quiet place.

    Jiayin

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  9. Condolences, a small collector of coins from Italy.
    Thanks to the site Colnect, I got to know, a lot of collectors from around the world and made me, a great connoisseur of world coins.
    All thanks to a great person Avi Wald

    Angelo13

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  10. Avi,
    condolences for the departure of your father .
    I have never been lucky to come into contact with him on Colnect. I have 2 sons but nobody is a phone cards collector as you and your brothers were with your father.
    As father I invite you all to remember him always with a strong love. Maurizio Perna

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  11. When I first saw this website I felt it hides something special. Now I understood it's because of a magical bridge linking the hearts and dreams of a family, that kind of link which overpasses time and times.

    Sincere condolences

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  12. Dear Amir
    I am so sorry about your father.
    I hope that your life will be so much.
    Best Regards
    Eyüp

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  13. Estimado Amir: Mi mas sentida y sincera condolencia a ti y todos los familiares de una exquisita persona como Avi Wald. Un abrazo. Héctor Miguel Mazorco (hetitolevalle)

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  14. Dear Amir,
    My deepest condolences to you and your family for the loss of your father. I really felt so sad when I read that Avi is no more among us.
    I had the pleasure of swapping many times through the last few years with Avi, and I always felt he was a good friend and a truly honest swap partner. He will be truly missed in
    the Colnect community and remembered as a very friendly and nice person.
    All the best from Norway,
    Jorgen Arnesen

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  15. Amigo Amir: Mi más sentido pésame para ud y su Familia por la muerte de su Padre. Son pocas las personas que llevamos ese espíritu del coleccionismo en el Mundo,Pero pienso que su Padre dejo un gran recuerdo porque lo Comenzo ayudandoles a su Hijo y se Convirtió en un coleccionista de Nivel, sus hijos lo han continuado y han creado esta pagina de Colnect para el Mundo,Hecha por ud Amir donde agrupa a miles de personas que disfrutamos a Diario este Hobbie con Pasión y Cariño, Lo recordaremos Siempre. Paz a sus restos Desde Venezuela. Joffre Isnar Blanco Casanova (JIBC)

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  16. Bonjour,
    Je ne vous connaissez pas, mais j'imagine à quel point vous avez contribuer à l'évolution du site Colnect. Aussi, c'est quelque part grâce à vous que nous pouvons apprécier tant Colnect.
    Je vous souhaite un doux repos éternel et me joins à votre famille dans dans la douleur de votre disparition.
    Stéphane / Passionumismate

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  17. Dear Amir,

    Please accept my sincerest and deepest expression of sympathy and condolence to you and your family on your father's recent passing.

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  18. I give condoleances for whole family and those who loved him, theyre lost is so big and i hope they find the stronght to go farther without him but with many good rememberings , I also know what Avi has been for colnect, it is a great lost for colnect and all his members to, Ria Bannink.

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  19. Dear Amir,

    Please accept my sincerest and deepest expression of sympathy and condolence to you and your family on your father's recent passing.

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  20. dear amir,
    i am very sad because of your father.
    i hope everything will be as you want.
    wishes,
    emre

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  21. Apreciat Amir,

    Et dono el meu pesam per la mort del teu pare. Però recorda que sempre estarà amb tu.

    Salut

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  22. Dear Amir
    I am so sorry about your father.
    I hope that your life will be so much.
    Best Regards

    RAMAZAN

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  23. personas como avi con el amor y el compromiso hacia nuestra pagina hacen que uno cada día se sienta mas comprometido con COLNECT muchas gracias AVI " paz y esperanza para su familia "

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  24. Amir,

    lo siento mucho por la perdida de tu padre, estamos contigo.

    Avi, que descanses en paz ...

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  25. Avi, mi encuentro contigo en esta pagina fué como una brisa muy fresca, de esas que recordamos siempre, paz a tu alma...
    a la familia mis condolencias...

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  26. Aunque no lo conoci, AVI esta en Colnect, es parte de su legado. Fuerza y solidaridad a su familia. (Jose de Nicaragua)

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  27. AUN QUE YO NO COLECCIONO TARJETAS TELEFONICAS Y NO LO CONOSI AL VER SE VE QUE FUE UNO DE LOS MAS GRANDES EN COLNECT Y ES PARA MI BRINDARLE MIS RESPETOS COMO COLECCIONADOR Y MIS CONDOLENCIAS A SU FAMILIA POR HABER DEJADO UN GRAN LEGADO EN EL MUNDO DE COLNECT
    ATENTAMENTE: ARTURO CAMARILLO HUESCA (MEXICO)

    COLECCIONISTA DE BILLETES Y MONEDAS

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  28. My sincere condolences to their families. Friends so unfortunate loss. While I had the opportunity to trade with him because I am relatively new to Colnect I have no doubt it was a great collector and friend.
    For the family the strength needed at this very painful. May God rest his holy kingdom and peace of the Creator.

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  29. EU SOU UM DOS MAIS NOVOS MEMBROS DA FÁMILIA COLNECT, POIS CONHECI ESSA GRANDIOSA OBRA SOMENTE NO DIA 09.09.2010, 18 DIAS ANTES DO FALECIMENTO DO Sr. AVI, MAS MESMO COM SUA PARTIDA DEIXOU UM TRABALHO BELO DIGNO DE SER ADMIRADO POR TODOS AMANTES NA ARTE DE COLECIONAR."O GRANDE LEGADO DO HOMEM, NÃO É AQUILO QUE DIZ QUE ELE É, MAS SIM AQUILO QUE ELE FAZ". AVI, QUE SUA FÁMILIA TENHA ORGULHO DO SEU FEITO, E QUE SUA ALMA DESCANSE EM PAZ.

    DURVAL ( BRASIL ) 18.11.2010

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