I learned today that Professor Will Merry has passed way, and it feels so sudden and unreal.

I still remember clearly his last algebraic topology Ⅰ lecture, as if it were held yesterday – He stopped by introducing the cup product in cohomology and bid us farewells, with great emotions in his voice. I thought it was because he did not get a tenure-track position to stay longer at ETH Zürich. And I was so frustrated by the fact that he would not continue to be the instructor of the algebraic topology Ⅱ course the next semester.

Once the lecture was over, I rushed at him, thanked him for his amazing lectures and wonderful notes, and asked for his autograph on my precious hardcover copy of “Topology and Geometry” by Bredon. I told him that I would definitely buy a copy of his lecture notes if he decides to publish them one day.

“Good luck with your journey through mathematics, Will Merry”, he wrote. For some reason, his handwriting was a bit distorted.

There is literally no way for me to believe that it was the last time that I saw him, even if he did not show up for the final exam. And then, three months flied; I kept hearing gossips about where his next station was. But it seemed that he just disappeared all of a sudden, no updates, no messages replied, nothing. A few weeks later, his personal website was locked and everything left was merely a ghost icon on the top of his homepage. That was it. I was really worried about him and felt pitiful that he did not get much good luck with his journey at ETH anymore, but never thought that he would be no longer with us because of severe dieases. He was much more than a lecturer to me – he was a hero in my heart, and I owe him so much.

Upon approval of his family, some day in the future I will certainly translate his lecture notes into Chinese, in memory of him.