I didn't shoot him down!! The comments were valid, but have been covered ad nauseum. Even if I had been abusive, when good friends/people die and someone wanders in and comments without even bothering to read the thread (yes, painfully long, but important), I think that a rebuke would not be out of place.
These were real people, with real families. The issue is not a convenient place to have a bit of a 'phish' to see if you can pick an on-line fight for a laugh.