Francisco Javier Sayas Gonzalez - Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes & Crematory

Francisco Javier Sayas Gonzalez

Died April 2, 2019

Francisco Javier Sayas Gonzalez, known as Pancho or Javier, age 50, of Newark DE, died on April 2nd, 2019.

Born in Zaragoza, Spain, to Jose-Antonio Sayas and the late Elena Gonzalez. Professor of Mathematics at the University of Delaware since 2010, he received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain. He previously held positions at the Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain, and the University of Minnesota.

Scholar, Mentor, Advisor. These were the roles he prided himself on, and where he most impacted the lives of those around him. He published over 100 articles and numerous books, and advised fifteen current and previous Ph.D. students. His humor and intellect were evident in all he did.

Pancho was also a talented pianist, and had an immense knowledge and appreciation of classical music — he was a music critic for newspapers and magazines in Spain. Among a host of interests, he chiefly enjoyed spending time with friends and colleagues, discussing a wide range of topics, preferably over beer, wine or food. He loved life.

Javier was preceded in death by his mother, Elena.  He is survived by his father, Jose-Antonio Sayas; his brother Jose-Antonio Sayas Gonzalez; his sister-in-law Rosa, and; his two nieces Marina and Blanca.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 am on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at Thomas More Oratory, 45 Lovett Avenue, Newark, DE.  Interment will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center of the Christiana Care Health System, 4701 Ogletown Stanton Rd, Newark, DE 19713.

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64 Condolences for Francisco Javier Sayas Gonzalez

  • Francisco was one of the nicest and most dedicated people I know. It was such a pleasure working for him.
    He was loved by many.

    R.I.P. Francisco

  • I have been lucky to cross his road. This is with a heavy heart that I am writting to offer my sympathy.
    I will never forget him and our always interesting discussions.
    With you all my friendship
    From France (Pau)
    Hélène

  • I only know him from few months in our department seminar and few other incidents, yet I find him very pleasant and outreaching person. We will truly miss you Javier.

  • I will miss my conversations with Francisco and seeing him working with a large number of PhD students (Team Pancho) in various meeting places in Ewing Hall. He was a first rate mentor, loved by his students, respected by his colleagues and a great scholar. I admired him for his tremendous accomplishments and for his dedication to his work in all its facets. Francisco showed great courage during very hard times battling health problems. He continued to work with his students, enjoying the company of his friends, without complaining. My deepest sympathy to all who feel his loss, family and friends. We will all miss him dearly.

  • Javier, descansa en Paz. Tu mejor lección la has dado al final.

  • I will remember Pancho as fiercely devoted to his graduate students. He worked tirelessly to teach and mentor them, and also to get to know them well. He leaves a great legacy behind.

  • While we, all his friends, knew that this might happen at any moment (his health condition deteriorated too fast during the last few weeks), one is never prepared to face the fact that Javier is not with us anymore.This is a very regrettable lost not only for his family and closest people, but for the entire community of numerical analysts around the world. Javier himself, all his many scientific accomplishments and his invaluable influences in each one of us, will remain in our hearts and memories for as long as we live. We will miss you a lot querido Javier !!

  • Francisco was my talented young colleague. He was an excellent collaborator and my dear friend. I will miss him very much.

  • Francisco was an outstanding mathematician and a courageous man in both personal and professional matters. I will miss him very much. His death is a great loss for Delaware.

  • I was upset to learn the death of Fransisco. It’s very cruel: for his family, of course, but also for us, who appreciated his immense talent and especially the way in which relations with him naturally become friends. These few words are far from translating the loss that I feel.
    Abderrahmane

  • He was so brilliant and nice. He has been one of my references since I met him, back in 2002 in Jaca (Spain). I will miss discussing with him in many conferences and events to come. Descansa en paz, Francisco.

  • To Francisco’s family i send my deepest sympathy. He was a very nice and friendly person. He was one person that was a early to his office i could always count on him being in his office early in the morning. I would like to say to his family just remember the good times that you shared with him and remember God puts no more on us then we can bare. I will keep you in my prayers.

  • A brilliant mathematician and classical music expert has left. A striking character with an extraordinary sense of humor. I already feel the huge gap he leaves behind.

  • Francisco/Pancho Sayas was one of the most honest people that I have ever known. He would always tell you the truth and not some sugar coated story that you wanted to hear. I loved that about him! He was an amazing scholar with an intense drive to learn and advance mathematics and to educate and mentor his students. I greatly admired his ability to lead Team Pancho to many successes: papers, books, conferences, grants and so on. He was a great colleague and did many wonderful things for our Department in various capacities, but especially as graduate chair. His standards were high and he worked hard and led other people to achieve them. His departure is a huge loss for his family, friends, colleagues and the UD and non-UD math communities, but he will always be in our hearts and his legacy will live and be carried on by his students and the many people that knew him.

  • A brilliant mathematician, a talented pianist, and a fine human being! Francisco will be greatly missed.
    He was brave, smart, fun, caring and extraordinary in everything he did.
    Our professional roads first met in Goetingen in 2005. Since then I have been blessed to have Pancho as a dear friend and colleague.
    He will always have a special place in my heart.

  • Francisco Javier era una persona afable, amable y comprometida. Tuve la suerte y oportunidad de conocerle y coincidir con él en varios encuentros, como los Sevilla Numérica, Cádiz Numérica y algunos CEDYA/CMA; de hecho, en el último CEDYA/CMA, celebrado en Cartagena en 2017, Francisco Javier fue uno de los conferenciantes plenarios, y yo tuve el privilegio de presentarle en esa ocasión. Era un magnífico comunicador, y sus presentaciones muy amenas y didácticas. A destacar también su exquisito trato con todos sus colegas, siempre mostrando una extraordinaria humildad.
    Vamos a echar mucho de menos a nuestro querido amigo y compañero Francisco Javier. Siempre te recordaremos.

    Paco

  • Pancho has been a dear friend and wonderful mathematical colleague, and he leaves an admirable legacy. He was always immensely fun to interact with, and truly generous with his ideas. His distinctive style and wit will be much missed, and he will be deeply mourned and missed. It is hard for me to comprehend that he will not be there to talk to.

  • Francisco was a brilliant mathematician and an amazing person. His scientific legacy is tremendous. He will be missed and remembered

  • You will always be remembered. The days we spent together to drink coffee and discuss Fortran and HDG! Thank you!

  • Javier fue un excelente compañero, tuve la suerte de formar parte de su tribunal de tesis en que conocí por primera vez su excelente calidad técnica como matemático. Después tuve ocasión de compartir con él bastantes congresos, disfrutamos juntos de las matemáticas y nuestra mutua compañía.

    He conocido la noticia de su deceso con gran dolor, siempre estará en mi corazón, lo recordaré con mucho cariño. Mis más sentidas condolencias a su familia y amigos.

  • A brilliant human being. Mi más sentido pésame a su familia.

  • Javier was not only an outstanding mathematician and a great piano player but above all a wonderful person who was always
    helpful and generous sharing his broad and deep mathematical knowledge with others. His death is a tremendous loss for
    for the numerical analysis community.
    From Germany
    Ernst P. Stephan

  • Our community has lost a great mathematician and a dearand very nice friend. That’s very sad. We shall not forget you.
    Ciao Francisco, Nicola

  • I had the opportunity to coincide with Pancho in Minnesota and Delaware, about 6 years in total. We shared many beers, nachos and wings. I’m very grateful because I learned from him not only mathematics, but also advices for life. !Salud Pancho!

  • Te conoci en el 2001 cuando recibiste merecidamente el premio SEMA al Joven Investigador.
    Y he vuelto a coincidir contigo en mjuchos CEDYAS, siempre con magnificas exposiciones y un fino trabajo.
    Eres un magnífico matemático.
    Te has ido demasiado pronto.
    Javier, descansa en Paz.

  • Todavía me cuesta creer que Javier ha fallecido. Fue alumno mío, después compañero de departamento. Su talento matemático era extraordinario y se lo reconocimos con el Premio Centenario de la Real Academia de Ciencias de Zaragoza. Nos queda el recuerdo de su discreción, su tranquilidad, sonrisa casi permanente y su bonhomía. Descansa en Paz amigo Javier.

  • Un abrazo donde quiera que estés. Descansa en paz.

  • Mucho ánimo y un fuerte abrazo a la familia.

  • ¡¡ Que gran impresión me causó desde la primera vez que le conocí el día que defendió su Tesis Doctoral, de cuya Comisión yo formaba parte !! No sólo era un gran matemático, era un gran comunicador y hacía parecer fácil y senciloo lo que era enormemente arduo y complicado.
    Su sentido del humor rebosaba su gran humanidad. Paámos buenos ratos juntos en diferentes congresos y por medio de Facebook nos manteníamos al corriente de aventuras, experiencias y recuerdos. Su partída me ha dejado muy afectado. Descansa en paz, !!! gran persona !!!

  • Brillante como matemático y brillante como persona. Descansa en paz.

  • Javier, descansa en paz. Un abrazo a la familia.

  • Triste noticia sobre una gran persona y mejor amigo.
    Con mucho recuerdo y cariño desde Murcia.
    Eliseo

  • Recuerdo haber conocido a Javier en Zaragoza, cuando iniciamos la etapa cordobesa de edición del Boletín SeMA, el que mucho más tarde daría lugar a nuestro actual SeMA Journal. Hasta entonces, junto con Francisco Lisbona, habían gestionado con medios realmente mínimos la publicación. Recuerdo haberle disfrutado después como profesor de un curso en una Escuela Hispano-Francesa (creo que en Laredo). Desde entonces, he tenido el placer y el privilegio de haberle escuchado en varios workshops y congresos y de haber conversado de más de un tema con él. En cierta ocasión, llegué a la conclusión de que era probablemente el colega que más sabía de elementos finitos mixtos en el país.

    Aparte de su profundidad y claridad de ideas, siempre me llamaron la atención su modestia y honradez. Y esa actitud de sinceridad. Tenía el brillo verdadero de un científico. Me he enterado de que estaba enfermo hace exactamente una semana y de que nos ha dejado hace dos días. Nos deja sin duda un recuerdo de los que no se olvidan.

  • Adiós amigo. Un abrazo muy fuerte donde quiera que estés.

  • Lo siento mucho. Un gran matemático.

  • Javier, siempre era un placer volver a vernos en los congresos. Siento mucho no haberme podido despedir de ti, ni siquiera sabía que estabas enfermo. Echaré de menos tus likes en facebook. Se va un gran matemático y una buena persona. Un beso muy fuerte.

  • I am deeply sorry about hearing that our friend passed away. Farewell Javier, you’ll be missed. Conocí a Javier en el Enumath 2001, en Ischia, Italia y tuve la suerte de coincidir con él posteriormente en varios eventos como la Escuela Hispano-Francesa de A Coruña o el CEDyA de Cartagena. Siempre de trato afable, siempre excepcional y didáctico en sus conferencias. Una terrible pérdida, la del hombre y la del matemático. Mi más sentido pésame a familiares y amigos.

  • An excellent mathematician and an excellent person. His committment to the spanish math community and the Spanish Society for Applied Mathematics (SeMA) was fully maintained while he was in the USA, always eager to help, always ready to contribute. Javier will be sorely missed, but his work and his memory will remain with us.
    Javier, descansa en paz.

  • Gracias Javier por todo lo que has compartido con nosotros. Por tu rigor matemático, tu diponibilidad para colaborar y por tus ganas de seguir… Por saber celebrar la amistad y por unirnos también en este momento con el reconocimiento y admiración que te mereces.

  • Javier, amigo, qué triste me has dejado. Siempre te recordaré por tu sabiduría y amistad.

  • La comunidad matemática española pierde con Javier a un gran matemático y a una excelente persona. Mis condolencias a su familia y amigos.

  • Acaba de partir Javier, un hombre extraordinario por su amabilidad y su lealtad para con sus amigos, colegas y estudiantes; y también extraordinario en todo lo que hacía, desbordante de curiosidad y energía. Su recuerdo permanecerá para siempre en todos lo que tuvimos la gran suerte de conocerle. DEP.

  • Javier-Pancho, a brilliant mathematician, a kind colleague, a pleasant person, a friend. Too young to go. We are now deeply sad and miss him very much. Wherever he is, Javier will be always in our hearts.

  • No puedo olvidar los días de Cádiz Numérica, en los que pude disfrutar de tu calor humano y de tu lucidez matemática en el curso que, tiza en mano, impartiste. Y que, en cierto modo, me marcó. Quién sabe en qué eventos numéricos te embarcas ahora.

  • Todavía impresionado por la noticia del fallecimiento de Javier. Matemático profundo y creativo, excelente profesor y director, inteligente, culto, agudo, generoso, sensible… Una pérdida tan grande como prematura. Mi más sentido pésame a su familia, amigos y discípulos. Hasta siempre, Javier!

  • Una triste noticia saber que Javier nos ha dejado. Cualquier tarea o colaboración que se le pedía desde SeMA la aceptaba y realizaba con eficacia y desinterés. Una persona con humanidad y un gran científico.

  • Tremenda pérdida la de Javier. Una persona con una capacidad de trabajo descomunal e interés por todo. Deja un vacío enorme.

  • I still remember that once in October of 2010, I met Professor Javier Sayas in the Starbucks on the campus of University of Minnesota. At that time, he was willing to help me to contact my Postdoctoral mentor – Professor Bernardo Cockburn.

  • Javier, sin duda con quien más conversaciones y pintas de cerveza he compartido.

    Tu recuerdo labra mi persolidad.

    Descansa en paz Pancho.

  • Un matemático brillante y una admirable persona. Así te recordaremos Javier. Ha sido un honor poder compartir contigo congresos y “encuentros numéricos” de los que eras un gran entusiasta y un auténtico promotor. Mucho ánimo para familiares y amigos.

  • Javier fue un excelente amigo y posteriormente colega y amigo. En la Academia de Ciencias de Zaragoza le otorgamos en 2016 el Premio de Investigación del Centenario de la Academia con todo merecimiento. Descanse en paz.

  • Conocí a Javier en 1994 cuando estaba a punto de terminar su tesis doctoral y desde entonces tuve el gran placer de crecer con él profesionalmente.

    Su pérdida me ha conmocionado profundamente. Echaré mucho de menos su amistad, su vitalidad y su pasión comunicativa por las matemáticas. Fue estupendo compartir parte de su vida, sus conocimientos y sus valores éticos y humanos.

  • It’s hard to believe that you are not with us anymore. Descansa en Paz, Pancho.

  • Conocí a Javier cuando estaba acabando mi carrera de matemáticas en Zaragoza en la que me impartió con gran criterio unas prácticas de Análisis Numérico y luego la vida nos volvió a juntar a ambos como profesores y algo mas que compañeros. Compartimos unas cuantas cervezas discutiendo como mejorar nuestra querida Universidad de Zaragoza y siempre cuento la anécdota que, cuando a Javier se le ocurría una idea feliz para una demostración de algún teorema, nos dejaba con las cervezas y se nos iba a casa para completar su obra maestra. Ahora nos has dejado para demostrar que allá donde estés ese teorema lo has demostrado con lujo. Descansa en paz, amigo.

  • Conocía a Javier desde que Paco Lisbona me invitó a formar parte de su tribunal de tesis. A lo largo de estos últimos años nos encontramos en diferentes eventos profesionales. Desde el principio tuve una excelente impresión de su inteligencia y su brillantez como matemático que, posteriormente, su trayectoria profesional ha confirmado con creces. Tengo en mi despacho su libro reciente sobre métodos variacionales en ecuaciones elípticas.
    Junto a esta vertiente profesional, me gustaría destacar también su gran calidad humana que tuve la suerte de apreciar a través de mis esporádicos encuentros con él y de las opiniones unánimes de colegas y amigos comunes.
    Desde aquí envío mi más sentido pésame a su familia, sus alumnos, sus amigos y sus colegas de Delaware y Zaragoza. Es una gran pérdida que nos ha llenado de pena.

  • Dr. Francisco is the first professor I meet in University of Delaware. When I first came to this school, I felt worried about my English test and Prelim Exams. Dr. Francisco encouraged me. At the end of my first semester, he sent me an Email which said ‘Yikun, congratulate to have a good start’. He is a warm-heart professor and excellent researcher. I’ve been lucky to take his Real Analysis class.
    Dear Dr. Francisco, God bless you and your family.

    Yikun Bai

  • Se va un excelente matemático y persona.

    Siempre recordaré sus notas de cursos avanzados con enfoques novedosos y sorprendentes, su investigación de gran calidad y su gran sentido del humor.

    Te echaremos de menos.
    Descansa en paz.

  • Thank you for all the classes you taught me, I truly learned a lot!
    R.I.P. Dr. Sayas

  • Mis mas sinceras condolencias, descansa en paz estimado colega!

  • Siempre en mi recuerdo

  • I know Francisco from his Minnesota days. I will always remember him as a very serious and hard working mathematician. We were fortunate that he had many friends in Minnesota and visited frequently after he joined the faculty at UDel. I am grateful that I was able to spend sometime with him during my last visit to Newark in September 2018. This is a big loss to mathematics. He will be missed.

  • I will always remember Pancho’s kindness in inviting me to give my very first invited talk as a green new postdoc. Rest peacefully, Francisco.

  • gran matemático y compañero

  • Dear Sayas