Tributes to Gitte
A collection of memories, messages, and reflections from the people who knew Gitte. These tributes celebrate her life, her work, and the lasting impression she made on friends, family, and colleagues.
Our deepest condolences on the passing away
of our long time highly respected APL-friend.
Gitte, your sense of humor, intelligence, and insightful
observations based on long experience will continue
and carry on us in our work in Finland.
We miss you and you will be always remembered.
Wishing my old friend and soulmate an exciting journey into the unknown, with many wonderful surprises and friendly encounters.
Always wise and reassuring, Gitte, you are still here with us.
Kære Morten, Kristoffer og Stine.
Det gør mig ondt at læse, at Gitte ikke er mere. Jeg husker Jer meget tydeligt fra min barndom, for gæstfriheden, jeres farverige og inspirerende hjem og de gode stunder med Kristoffer og Stine.
Jeg ved at I var højt værdsat af min far, I var der altid – også når livet var svært for ham. Tak for det! Min fars sidste ønske var at blive spredt på havet, også der trådte I til, med Jeres fantastiske båd – og således var I der også dér for ham.
Med kæmpe tak fra hjertet, sender jeg Jer alle en masse kærlighed i denne svære tid.
R.I.P Gitte. ❤️🌟
Kærligst.
That mischievous grin … that fierce protectiveness of so many people around her … always there with a helping hand. She was a loving auntie to my daughter and honorary mother to a refugee family. Didn’t even have to ask, she just assumed it was the thing to do and made it wonderful. Home was a place that welcomed the world.
She insisted that Rhylissa and Stine were required event staff when my company organized the “90th birthday party” for her and Morten – their first professional gig for their resumés! She taught business skills without ever lecturing, just conversations and stories I carry to this day. She expected the best of everyone without passing judgment … so you stood a little straighter, tried a little harder, made a deeper commitment to excellence, and paid it forward.
I have so many memories of long delightful days and evenings on ANNA ELISE, including reading the latest Harry Potter aloud for the kids (including us older ones), and then tucking them in on the foredeck for a nap.
And always that wonderful warm witty and mischievous grin…
Walk in beauty among the stars Gitte. You have left this world a much better place and I know you will watch over us with love.
Our condolences to Morten, Stine, and Kristoffer. We will never forget Gitte as the locomotive of Dyalog. A great loss.
I remember first meeting Gitte and the clear passion that she had for things. She spoke with conviction and clarity, and she enjoyed the basic elements of life such as food and drink just as much as the higher things. We were able to bond over a shared appreciation of whisky the first time I came to the UK, and it was always a treat to see her opinion of the various wines and foods that were served at each user meeting. Despite all this, Gitte also clearly had a passion for Dyalog and for the work that she did, approaching it with a sobriety and clarity of purpose that gave confidence to those around her. I really think she believed in what she was doing, and you can’t just fake that.
I also appreciate her honesty and upfront demeanor, the degree to which she was willing to push for the truth. She helped to foster a culture of honesty and openness at Dyalog that I think has served us well. The repercussions of her convictions and leadership as well as her nurturing will, I think, continue to be felt for years to come, despite her retirement some time ago; such is the impact of someone as passionate as she was.
My first meeting with Gitte (and Morten) was at an APL conference in 1994. There was an instant connection — an immediate sense of recognition, as though we had always known each other.
Gitte assumed I was Danish and started speaking Danish to me. I stood there, slightly bewildered, not understanding a single word — and just like that, a friendship was born.
As life unfolded, we ended up living close to one another, and our children arrived only nine months apart: Adám (who is now part of the company), Kristoffer, Kirstine, and then Nanna. For several years, the four of them were inseparable, and through that, Gitte created that rare and special sense of belonging that was so uniquely hers.
That was Gitte’s gift: to create warmth, connection, and generosity in a way that few people can.
Sometimes long stretches would pass without us seeing each other, yet every reunion felt as though no time at all had passed.
When I found myself without a place to live, the magical house opened its doors to me. I expected to stay for only three or four weeks. It turned into seven months. When, after three months, I had to tell Gitte that my new home still wasn’t ready, her immediate response was: *“FANTASTIC!!!”*
That probably says more than anything else about the size of her heart and the extraordinary generosity she carried within her.
Beyond our friendship, I am profoundly, deeply grateful that Gitte took my son Adám under her wing and guided him all the way from being a somewhat uncertain young man, with very little faith in his own abilities, to the person he has become today.
You will always remain in my heart, Gitte. In truth, it feels as though you are still here — simply in another form.
I first met Gitte (and Morten) during the APL Germany conferences some fifteen years ago. At this time, I had just migrated my APL code between two other dialects, but I knew little about the overall history of APL.
I was impressed (and a little jealous…) with the amount of work and dedication Gitte was investing in a good contact with the APL community in Germany, how Dyalog was open to requirements and what progress the dialect was able to achieve. Over the years I also learned to estimate her Nordic humour, her open and matter-of-fact attitude, her willingness to help…
Sometime later I proposed to my employer a switch to Dyalog. Understanding that the common licencing models of Dyalog did not fit well with our internal structure, Gitte immediately proposed a tailored model, based on mutual trust. An example of her ability to create win-win situations through compromises.
Farewell Gitte, I will remember you!
Thank you Morten for your beautifully written obituaries. So many things I did not know, and wish I had. I first got to know Gitte during the APL91 conference at Stanford. I was on the conference committee, running around in a panic trying to make sure everything went as planned, and Gitte was of great help to me. I always looked forward to talking to her at whatever meetings we both attended. What I think of when I remember her is her great empathy. Whatever you were going through, she seemed to understand. She was a true force of nature and the world is so much better for Gitte having been in it. My sincere sympathies to her entire family.
I never had the chance to know Gitte personally, though everything I saw of her from afar, through her work, through the community she built, pointed to a remarkably smart, kind, and ethical person. She set a standard for how to lead with both excellence and humanity.
While I was giving my first ever presentation at the Glasgow UM (and a little terrified up there) I caught sight of her across the room. She gave me a subtle, quiet smile, and even though it seems such a small thing, it felt as though she was cheering me on. I’ve carried that moment with me ever since, along with the regret of never quite working up the courage to walk over and talk to her…
I would not be doing what I’m doing at Dyalog today were it not for everything she built. The community she shaped, the company she led, all of it reached me long before I ever stepped into a room with her, and continues to shape my days now. I have always loved watching her opening presentations at the User Meetings and the sense of ease they always gave. Her work touched my life in ways she will never know, and I know that I am not alone in that.
Her legacy will live on through every life she touched, and through everyone those people go on to touch in turn. I’ll miss her, and I’ll always be grateful.
Thank you Gitte.
Kære familien.
I de mange år jeg har kendt Gitte har jeg altid tænkt hende som en anden mormor for mig. Dukkede altid op med dejligt smil og godt humør. Jeg har altid været glad for Gittes tilstedeværelse til både fødselsdage og andre dejlige begivenheder.
Det gør mig så glad når man tænker tilbage på hvordan hun levede. Det var sku ret “ride or die”. Hun levede med sig selv til det sidste.
Jeg er ufattelig ærgerlig over, at jeg ikke havde mulighed for at dukke op, men synes alligevel man fortjener at sende en så dejlig mor afsted.
Tusind, tusind tak Gitte for alle de dejlige sommerdage og fødselsdage tilbragt sammen. Jeg kommer aldrig til at glemme de dejlige stunder vi havde sammen.
Vi ses forhåbentlig igen🤎
I have known Gitte for nearly thirty years, though our relationship deepened significantly after she became Dyalog’s CEO. This was inevitable, given that I have been doing business with Dyalog since the early nineties.
When you collaborate in business for such a long time, conflicts are not just possible—they are inevitable. That is simply the nature of commerce. Whether you are negotiating rates or navigating the complexities of a shared customer, friction is part of the landscape.
Yet, the fact that we managed to sustain a partnership for decades, transforming it from a purely transactional arrangement into one built on genuine trust and closeness, speaks volumes about Gitte’s character. She didn’t just manage the business; she nurtured the human element behind it.
She was always the one striving for a compromise, never losing her good humour even in the heat of a dispute, and always keeping an open ear for your perspective. It is a rare gift to find someone who can lead a company with authority while remaining approachable and empathetic. She understood that the APL community is more than just a network of colleagues; it was a family, and she nurtured that bond in her unassuming, quiet way.
I am going to miss her deeply. Even though she retired a couple of years ago, her absence is still felt. Yet, there is a profound comfort in knowing that her legacy is in such capable hands. Her successor is not only doing an excellent job but is, in fact, her own daughter. To see the torch passed so seamlessly from mother to daughter is a testament to the values Gitte instilled—not just in the company, but in her family.
Our deepest condolences on the passing of Gitte, a highly respected person in the whole APL community.
We gratefully remember her way of fair and result driven discussions when we prepared APL 2010, her desire to get good results for all parties – her everlasting approach! And we appreciate her regular attendance at our biannual meetings explaining us the road of Dyalog.
Gitte, we will miss you dearly, your open and direct manner, our conversations, and your humour, often accompanied by a smile on your face. We will always cherish the memory of you and your positive energy!
We would like to express our deepest condolences. We were sincerely concerned as soon as we read about Gitte having passed away. Thank you so much to let us know about it personally, Morten. We experienced Gitte as a very tough and straight person. We had a lot of trustful conversations and tried to drive our businesses as partners at our best. We enjoyed our relationship and conversations mainly at conferences and APL meetings – during the day and even more around dinner in the evening. Gitte had always time and good ideas how to move another step forward. Thank you, Gitte, for that and for your good mood, smile and honesty.
Let us close with one short story which might make you smile reading it. When we got the sad message last week we were on a short vacation in Mallorca. One of the hotel people we like very much looks somehow like Gitte and reminds us of her each time we are there. Since two or three years we call her Gitte for ourselves, and exactly she was there around us when we read your email, Morten. We had a drink to remember and celebrate Gitte and thought about joint days. We won’t forget her.
I had not had the pleasure of meeting Gitte in person but I am honoured to say that I can feel the affection that everyone has for her and her memory. I met Morten on a couple of occasions and to him and his entire family I want to offer my condolences. I am sure that her early guidance for Dyalog will continue to serve the company well and continue to inspire those who work there. May she rest in peace.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Gittte last Thursday at the BAAPL webinar. I read the personal and professional obituaries. Her accomplishments are quite impressive.
The news of Gitte’s illness and passing has saddened me deeply.
At the same time, I feel very fortunate to have known Gitte and to have worked closely with her professionally over several years. It is rare to meet people who are so straightforward, flexible, and willing to find constructive solutions at all times. Working with her was both a pleasure and a privilege.
We will remember Gitte with great respect and warm appreciation. May she rest in peace.
On behalf of the entire DPC team, I would like to express our heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts are also with you, Stine and Morten, during this difficult time.
I first met Gitte in Denmark when visiting a Dyalog office in Helsingør Denmark 28/10/2022, and only saw her for a few seconds. My head at the time was “Wow I get to meet the CEO, CTO, and Adám in the same visit!?”. I was luckily able to get to know her better during my summer internship in 2024. I got to spend a workday with Morten and Gitte at their home, getting to know them personally. Gitte was really nice to me, Morten not so much but I’m sure there were reasons for that. I got to know how they met, and some stories about their kids. I have never experienced a workplace with such wonderful and wholesome moments, and I thank Gitte for making my experience amazing.
I wish to have known her better. My condolences.
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