„Wenn ihr mich sucht,
sucht mich in Euren Herzen.
Habe ich dort eine Bleibe gefunden,
lebe ich in Euch weiter.“
— Rainer Maria Rilke
„If you are looking for me,
look for me in your hearts.
If I found a place to stay there,
I live on in you. „
–Rainer Maria Rilke
„Ако ме търсите,
погледнете в сърцата си.
Ако съм намерил място там,
то продължавам да живея във вас. „
–Райнер-Мария Рилке
Dear family,
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything”
Zornitza was a giver and i think that was the reason why she was a happy person who always gave me a big smile when we met.
As a mother i would like to say to her children: “you are the best thing that ever happened to her”.
Warm regards,
Suse
Herzliches Beileid an die Familie, den Sohn, die Tochter, die Schwester und den Vater
Mit stillem Gruss
Gerda Elger
I met Zornitza while we were both doing our PhD at the University of Twente. I will always remember her as a strong and decided person, an example woman! She was very reserved and didn’t show at all the weight of the adversities she had to deal with during that time. We could only see kindness and a fierce determination to care for others and redefine her career path. Be strong for her; the pain will settle down and she will remain a remarkable woman forever.
Dear Family of Zornitza.
Zornitza is by far the strongest and clear minded woman I have ever met. She shaped her world with her kindness and with her dedication and humbleness. I’m sure her qualities are within you which will serve you well throughout your life journey. You will be fine as her strength is within you. The memory of her life will always prevail and will help you through whatever comes your way, also this very rough part of mourning her loss and somehow manage to move forward. She will look after you, from within your hearths.
I met Zornitza soon after my arrival at the University of Twente in 2007 and we became friends. I enjoyed her wisdom and presence through many dinners and talks. She also came to visit me in Antibes for a few days enjoying the French Rivera and taking a few days off from everything. Zornitza had an open hearth and was a blessing to spend time with. I will always remember her as the kind and strong woman she was. Rest In Peace my dear friend.
Love Siv Houmb
It was very sad to hear that Zornitza has passed away.
We collaborated on her Ph.D. research in Twente, that is, she did all the work and occasionally I helped in writing up and presenting the results. It was always a pleasure to work with Zornitza and Maya. I’m glad to hear that her work is still used in teaching.
I admire Zornitza, for her scientific work but more so for her perseverance and the courage with which she faced the grave health issues that came on her way.
My condolences to her family, I wish you strength to deal with this irreplaceable loss.
I will always remember Zornitza as a powerwoman. She started her PhD work with me in 2006 and through the whole project she was clear-headed, disciplined, and dedicated. The day before she would start at the project, she heard she had a bad diagnosis and decided to postpone the starting date so that she would not weigh on the project budget. This showed me that she looked life and its surprises straight in the face and dealt with it. This alone gives her a special place among the many PhD students I supervised.
There was more trouble in her life back then and she handled that too. Six months later we started the project, first at 50%, because she was still recuperating, increasing this later to 60%. For most people this would have meant an extension of the project to 6 years, but not for Zornitza: She did it part-time in the standard 4 years.
Before the successful termination of the project, she applied for a steady job — she had a family to take care of — and to Zornitza’s surprise, but not to mine, she was hired on the first application she sent out. She started at Deutsche Post in November 2011 and then needed a year to master the complexity and routine at her new employer. Having settled there, she wrote the thesis in the following year and obtained her PhD in 2013.
I look back on our cooperation with pleasure. We talked as equals. She was always honest and clear. She needed no defenses. I have always admired her analytical skills and her ability to zoom in on the relevant topics in a chaotic mass of unexpected details. She was open, friendly, and a lovely person to work with. She made the world a better place, perhaps without realizing it.
Her passing away came as a shock to me. She went too early. I will cherish my memory of her, until my time has come.
Помним усмихнатата Зорница и нейната дъщеричка Ана през краткото лято на 2000та година в Торонто. Една много грижовна майка, започваща новия си живот в Канада, може би месец преди раждането на второто й дете. Пълна с ентусиасъм и интерес към езиците на Канада и живота.
Срещите ни с нея бяха удоволствие. Разказваше ни за Германия, черпехме се, смяхме се. В българската имигрантска общност в града имаше много малко ямболии, и ни беше хубаво да се събираме с друг човек от нашия град с толкова позитивен дух.
Светъл път и вечен мир на душата й!
Hat off to Zornitza for doing such a great job on the systematic literature review on business value in agile, which received the Best Paper Award at the PROFES’09 conference! We are still using this paper in our teaching.
May she rest in peace.
Sincerely yours,
the PC chairs
Светъл път на душата ти, Зори! Въпреки че бяхме разделени от пространството, ти ще останеш завинаги в спомените ни. Беше страхотен човек и приятел. Почивай в мир!
Бог да прости! Беше като дете и ученичка, светлината на света!
С много обич,
от колегите на майка й от политехническа гимназия ямбол
Ich bin sehr traurig, aber auch dankbar mit einer tollen Doktorandin eine wertvolle Zeit verbracht zu haben. Mit Zornitza durfte ich vertrauensvoll und motiviert zusammenarbeiten und dabei viel lernen.
Mein aufrichtiges Beileid an die ganze Familie in dieser schweren und dunklen Zeit.
Es war Liebe auf den ersten Blick. Sie war 16, ich war 18. Ich hatte einen Wettbewerb gewonnen, sie war zweitplaziert. Keiner hat mich herzlicher begrüßt als sie. ich wußta, das ist für’s Leben. Und so ist es und wird es bleiben. Zori lebt, solange sie in unseren Erinnerungen ist.
Trotz der Distanz sind wir uns immer sehr nahe geblieben. Und so wird es bleiben.
Wir lieben Dich, Zori!
Ana und Alex, seid stark und freut Euch, wenn jemand sagt: das sind die Kinder von Zori.
Your mother was truly a wonderful woman. I met her only few times while in Toronto in the summer of 2000. I will always remember how heroic she was as a new-comer to Canada and as an expecting mother. She was so thoughtful and dedicated while taking great care of her 5-years old girl. We’ve never met since then, but I keep the warm memories from those early days in my heart.
My deepest sympathies on her death.
С най-дълбока съпричастност към семейството на Зорница пишем тези редове. Имахме честта да познаваме Вашата майка чрез нашия брат, Николай, близък приятел на семейството от студентските години. Пазим топли спомени в сърцата си. Познаваме я като борбен човек — тя е вдъхновяващ пример за това, да не се уморяваме да се борим за живота и да го живеем истински и с надежда. Дълбок поклон!
Dear family,
our thoughts and prayers are with you all! It was a joy to be a student in the presence of Zornitza. We will never forget the warmth her smile brought to the class each and every time during her teaching assistantship in E-Commerce! May she rest in peace!
Dear Ana, Alex and Rossen,
it’s heartbreaking and shocking… Words cannot express my sadness since I heard of your loss.
Thinking of your mother right now, I realize there are just way too many warm memories coming to my mind, to enumerate them here… To put it briefly, her spirit, cheerfulness, sense of humor will forever be greatly missed! What a nice company she was, both professionally and personally! I’ve been privileged to know her for so many years and do feel very much indebted to her for becoming part of my life and making me part of her life. She has been an exceptional person; indeed, I think there is nobody in the world quite like your mother.
I’m a firm believer that when we lose people so close to us, they continue to live on through us and give us inspiration and strength. What good memories you all must have with your loving mother. Lean on them to remind you of the joy she brought into your life.
Sending you love, Maya