In Memoriam Izak Broere
We have been robbed by an invisible enemy of our dear friend Izak, or Sakkie to some. We are sad beyond measure and still staggering at the loss. Izak was a solid human being, honest and sincere, how humans were intended to be. He was kind, he was quirky, he was endearing, he was playful, he was a huggable teddy bear. We remember his joy of life, his infectious smile and his charm. He loved the banter in the tearoom and the remarks that flew from here to there like a ping pong ball. Then the ball reached him and he reacted with the wittiest remark of all, leaving everyone in stitches. Izak was so, so clever, a cleverness that stretched beyond mathematics. He was a master of life skills, of words, of big picture thinking and humble at that. His trade was mathematics, a talent that was written about in the newspaper when he was only twenty and astounded academics at a conference. He studied the hard way, cycling after a day’s work to university to attend evening classes. He crafted his …
