In Memoriam
Francisco Lopez Luro
1978-2020
In October 2020, our close friend and colleague Francisco Lopez Luro passed away after fighting cancer for over a year. He has been such as fighter throughout this whole time, through ups and downs, and still every time we talked to him he always asked how we were doing and he cared about us. He wanted us to focus on the positive things. You just do not find many people like him… and this was so him, caring for others.
There are not enough words to describe Francisco, but he was helpful, always there for others, and would always find the time to help others with their questions or problems (both socially and at work). He was technically skilled in computer science and had a very deep understanding of several topics. He was also interested in many other topics which made discussions with him always interesting and fun. He had humour and always a twinkle in his eyes. He was passionate and curious about both research, education, and internal and external collaboration. He loved to learn new things and share his knowledge with others, across department borders. He took great care to the attention to detail and quality of everything he did in his work.
He was also very much appreciated by the students. In particular in teaching 3D programming for example, but also introductory programming and problem-solving. He had a way of explaining concepts and techniques so that everyone could understand, he expected a lot, but he also took the time to see each and every student. He was a passionate and pedagogical teacher. This could for example be shown in that he once was selected teacher of the year at BTH. He had an impact not only on the student’s education but also on their future life.
We will always remember the way Francisco had an impact on us, and we can only encourage others to be like him. Be curious about life and the problems it throws at you, support, help and be there for others, and have fun whilst doing so. Treasure each day you have. We think he would have liked that.