Born in Sibiu, Romania on April 24, 1959, Florin passed away peacefully at home on February 13, 2018. He is survived by his wife, Mariana; his son, Razvan; and his mother, Elena.
Florin was an award-winning mathematician, Vice President of the Canadian Mathematical Society, professor at the University of Victoria and Yale-NUS Singapore, the author of several successful books, and an avid tennis player.
A loving husband and father, he will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Visitation will be held in the Redwood Chapel at McCall Gardens on Friday, February 16 at 7:00 pm. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive.
Tributes, if desired, may be made to the Victoria Hospice Society.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
94 Responses
Dear Marina,
I was shocked and saddened by Florin’s death – to my
mind quite sudden. I am honored and hold dear
the memory of visiting you in your house in Victoria,
the hospitality you and Florin extended to my wife Judith and I,
and of getting to know you a bit.
Here is my testimonial for Florin.
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More than any theorem, book or paper, what comes to mind when I think of Florin Diacu
is his persistent effective support of our common field, mathematical celestial mechanics,
the joy he took in being with his fellow researchers and the joy and intensity
with which he approached his other vocation: writing.
He mentored a number of students, seeing them
through to the point of having their own succesful academic careers. He ran countless conferences
and he made sure that us participants would not retreat to our cells after the talks but
rather did what he could to make us interact socially.
In the last decade or two he has focussed his research on the N-body problem on space forms,
which is to say on the sphere and hyperbolic space. These areas have a long history, going
back to Lobachevsky and Florin was acutely aware of that history. He was the person to go
to with any historical questions of this surprising corner of our world.
In his book `Celestial Encounters’ he performed an enormous public service. In his poems he startled us
with his seriousness interleaved with playfullness.
He will be missed.
Draga Marina,
Nu as fi vrut sa-ti scriu niciodata asta.
Sunt inca socata de vestea pe care am primit-o, dar din pacate suntem trecatori prin lumea asta……si Florin asa un om minunat a plecat atat de repede.
Suntem cu ganduri bune alaturi de tine si Razvan in aceste momente de grea incercare.
Dumnezeu sa-l odihneasca in pace
Alina si Marius
Dear Mariana and Răzvan,
We are so sorry to hear of your loss. We are so saddened and truly shocked of Florin’s unexpected and tragic passing. Please accept our deepest sympathy at this most difficult time.
May you rest in peace, Florin.
Cu inimile îndurerate, ne rugăm acum pentru alinarea suferinței familiei îndoliate și pentru odihna veşnică a celui care a fost un om bun și vesel, cu dragoste de oameni. Dumnezeu să îl odihnească în pace și să îi vegheze somnul cel de veci!
Sincere condoliante!
Horia & Sabine
Mariana, I am so sad to hear about Florin, my heart breaks for you and your family. I pray you will be given comfort in this time of great grief! Much love, Barb
Mariana,please accept my sincere condolences.
Sincerely ,
George Dumitrache
Mariana, I am so sorry to learn of Florin’s sudden passing. Although I did not know him personally, I know from all of the stories you told that you had an exciting and adventurous life together. I am keeping you in my thoughts.
Dear Ms. Diacu,
Death is never welcome but it is especially disturbing when it hits unexpectedly. I cannot believe it is true when I received the message that Dr. Florin Diacu has passed away. It seemed only a few days ago when he told me that he was excited to accept a new position in Singapore. I’ll miss Dr. Diacu. Please know that I’ll be praying for you and your family.
There are many aspects of Dr. Diacu’s outstanding accomplishments in mathematics I can talk about. I believe many other colleagues will write too. So I’ll focus on one word that try to capture Dr. Diacu as an exceptional mathematician in my personal opinion.
The word is ‘impact’. Most mathematicians can make some impact in their fields but not in general public. Besides his outstanding research in n-body problem in curved space, Dr. Diacu has very successfully conveyed complex scientific and scholarly ideas to the general public. I am benefited from reading his famous “Celestial Encounters: The Origins of Chaos and Stability” in Chinese version when I was a graduate student. Many students and scholars know more about the development of chaos theory and some of them get interests in this field because of this book. This book had large impact and it won the Best Academic Book Award of 1997.
Sincerely,
Zhifu
Draga Marina,
Ne pare nespus de rău sa aflam despre trecerea în neființă a lui Florin. Este greu de crezut cum un om atât de tânăr, energetic, și plin de optimism, sa se stingă atât de neașteptat, atât de repede. Dumnezeu sa îl odihnească!
Te îmbrățișam cu mult drag,
Marian si Claudia
14 februarie 2018
New York, NY
Below are some thoughts that I would like to share about Florin.
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In this day and age, very few mathematicians have the brilliance and destiny to open up new research venues in mathematics. The Romanian mathematician Florin Diacu was among the few chosen ones. His recent work on the n-body problem curved spaces managed to build new bridges across several domains: celestial mechanics, geometry, and general relativity. It is certain that his stellar accomplishments grant him a glowing place in the great book of the sciences. Equally worthy are the bright marks that he left on the souls of his numerous friends, collaborators and students. His energy, optimism, frankness, and sense of humor were heartwarming. He was always very generous to share his knowledge, insights, and advice, always willing to help. Through all what he did for the people around him as well as for the sciences, he will always be felt as a living presence, like he has never left us.
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Mariana,
I am so sorry for your loss with the passing of Florin. He was a great mentor when I was a student at Victoria during 1989-1993. Florin played a pivotal role in directing me as a Master’s student. If not for him, I might not have the fulfilling career I now enjoy as a mathematician. He was a kind and gracious person, a dear friend, and will be greatly missed. My condolences to you and your family at this time of grief.
Lennard Bakker
Erstwhile student of Florin Diacu