Willem Wals

I was shocked to hear that Willem had passed away. We had the pleasure and privilege of working with Willem. Always vocal, sometimes grumpy but always respectful and constructive. He made a great contribution to the success of Ohpen. We wish his daughter and his loved ones strength in coping with his parting...

Willem passing feel so sudden, unreal and unfair. Willem was a pillar and a strong presence. His level of professionalism was only matched by its integrity. He will be missed dearly and his laughers ever present in our memories. Rest in peace...

To Willem's family, friends, and colleagues, I offer my deepest condolences. We have lost not just a great colleague, but a truly remarkable human being. The Elsevier family will never forget his professionalism and dedication. I had the privilege of working alongside Willem for the past two years. From the start, I was struck by his humility, his authenticity, and his collaborative spirit. He possessed a rare combination of deep technical expertise and genuine approachability in all technical matters related to our projects. Willem was both direct and authoritative. His vast pool of knowledge was a constant resource for us all, and he consistently pushed our team and leadership to make the right decisions, never compromising on quality or integrity. He had a way of steering us back to the right path whenever we veered off course, always advocating for the highest standards. Willem was the person everyone turned to. If you needed to know anything about our projects, Willem was the answer. Beyond his technical prowess, he was an exceptional mentor to many of us, generously sharing his knowledge and guiding us on all technical matters. He was able to explain complex technical problems so easily, this allowed me and our team to make the right decisions. We will always remember him, his lessons and he will always be a part of our team in everything we do going forward. Rest in peace, Willem. You will be deeply missed.

Ik wil graag de familie en vrienden van Willem sterkte wensen in deze moeilijke tijden. Dit was volkomen onverwacht en schokkend nieuws. Willem was een uniek persoon; hij streefde altijd naar de hoogste kwaliteit, zowel van zichzelf als van anderen. Hij dacht vaak actief mee over onze uitdagingen, zelfs als die niet direct met zijn eigen werkgebied te maken hadden. Zijn aandacht voor detail was een inspiratie voor iedereen in zijn team. We zullen je enorm missen, Willem. ### I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Willem's family and friends during this difficult time. This news was completely unexpected and shocking. Willem was a unique person; he always strived for the highest quality, both in himself and in others. He often actively contributed to our challenges, even when they were not directly related to his own area of work. His attention to detail was an inspiration to everyone on his team. We will miss you dearly, Willem.

That is terrible and shocking news... I'm still trying to process it... So sudden, so unexpected, and so... unfair... Willem was a top-level professional, with a critical mind, attentive to detail, and striving for perfection. He was the type of person that adds a lot of value to any team he is part of - challenging the status quo, asking uncomfortable questions, pushing the team to improve in every aspect. It was a great honor to know Willem and to work with him!

I am still in shock of loosing Willem. We worked together in many challenges. He had such a strong personality , he was never afraid of speaking the truth what he believes. He was always there when we need any help. I will always miss our conversations around coffee machine, he was an amazing dad and son. He was so proud of his lovely daughter. Our last conversations were about some advices about my daughter. I wish strength to his family and friends. Rest in peace Willem, we will always remember you!

It is always a sad day to hear about anyone you know passing away suddenly and I was deeply shocked to hear this news, especially given how close in age I am to Willem. It has been a while since our paths have crossed, but we always had great interactions via Slack and his contributions to Elsevier Systems Engineering and the products he supported cannot be undervalued. He was a wonderful colleague and as can be seen, he will be sorely missed.

These are really sad news. I worked with Willem in one team for few years, he was strong professional, and I got an impression he was a well-rounded person every time I communicated with him. Now this loss reminds me of many dialogs I wish I had with him, but I lost my chance. Rest in peace, comrade, your deeds are now part of our world.