In loving memory of our colleague Stephanie Parker, who passed away two years ago, we reflect on the profound impact she had on our lives and work. Her dedication, kindness, and unwavering spirit continue to inspire us. Every day, we honor her legacy and the indelible mark she left on our hearts and our community.
Born on 2nd May 1965, Coalville, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Passed away 3 July 2022, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy
Stephanie – Steph for all who were close to her – was a much-loved Mother, sister, daughter, passionate researcher, and friend. A very private person and with her poignant British sense of humour, she worked in Pisa, Italy close to her loving son Robert. Proud of her Leicester roots she interviewed for Trust-IT Services Ltd back in 2005, and in communication and dissemination of research results she was able to demonstrate over the years her true working skills and impeccable ethics.
One of our most loyal staff members, she has been with us through laughs, through challenges, changes, and successes. Always willing to help her colleagues from all over Europe and never turning anyone away or down when it came to giving competent and detailed advice or capturing in words a new trend, or valuing a complex achievement very few could otherwise see. At Trust-IT she truly became a pillar of the company, with an eloquent turn of phrase and a vast knowledge of all things technological. Steph became one of our most distinctive senior experts in cybersecurity, 5G, and 6G technologies.
We are certain that Steph will be truly missed by the European scientific community, by the many who had the pleasure of directly working with her, and certainly greatly by us all here at Trust-IT and COMMpla.
If you wish to share a tribute or favourite stories and photos of Steph or your own memory of Steph, you are welcome to do so by using the form below – we will collect and publish them momentarily.
R.I.P., Steph
Stephanie we a very good collaborator in the TMV TF work. It is a pity to lose such good colleagues.
I am shocked and saddened.
Steph was a kind person, strong and very knowledgeable in his work.
We'll all miss you Steph.
For what little we met, we exchanged many words and it is really rare to find people so kind and friendly and that love so much they do. I will miss you so much... Goodbye Steph, have a good trip and rest in peace.
It is always a terrible shock when someone close passes on and no words can provide consolation.
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
So sad to hear this horrible news. Stephanie was always a very helpful, communicative and thorough collaborator, but also always friendly and approachable - invariably work email exchanges would conclude with discussions about the weekend or other social topics.
My thoughts are with her family and friends.
I really loved how kind and joyful she was in all our work interactions. Since I didn't have the pleasure to meet her in person, I will keep a fond memory of her (perfect) English accent. I send my condolences to her family and to her colleagues at Trust-IT.
I've known Steph since the early years of 2000. During all this time we grew fond of each other and we made a great team. We knew our ways to overcome complexities and we enjoyed a work well done. She was also a very nice person, and we shared our laughs from time to time. I loose a great co-worker and a friend.
Dear loyal Steph,
I shall miss your knowledge, your sense of duty, your curiosity and obviously willpower to simply march on whatever the circumstance. On more than one occasion you personally gave me some pearls of wisdom which helped me make the right decisions and in hindsight your advice was the right one and I will always be eternally grateful for this free help that you decided I needed to hear, at the right time, & at a particular moment.
Thank you for being part of the journey at Trust-IT / COMMpla I know you will always be with us.
This is a nice memory of one of our Open Houses - back in 2018 - with some other special people, this year you particularly enjoyed it !
Forever in our thoughts
siv
Shocked and saddened. It is very rare to find peole so kind, friendly and suportive. It has been a pleasure to work with Stephanie all the times.
My deepest condolences to her family and friends.
I remember a company party years ago, before this pandemic entered so bruitly into our lives, it was already late at night and you hanged me with tears in the eyes saying something that reasoned like "I love you". How sweet are fragile you were, dear Steph. Ti abbiamo voluto tutti tanto bene.
Riposa in pace, ora.
I'm really shocked with no words....Steph was such an amazing person and colleague to work with. I always remember her sense of humor and her beautiful particular voice....It's terrible loss and my thoughts are with her family and all TRUST-IT team....
Dear Steph, you will be missed a lot...May you rest in peace.
It was a great pleasure to work with Stephanie. She helped us all getting the often confusingly different subjects, which we discuss in our industries, under a common umbrella and she did that with enthusiasm, having a great way with people and a great understanding of what we are all working on. I wish her family and friends strength.
I could not believe it this morning when I read the news - It feels unreal that we were talking just weeks ago, and we will never speak again... You were a great colleague, and I know our whole team at CESSDA loved working with you. Wherever you are, I am wishing you peace. And I hope your family and friends will find some comfort in remembering you... You will be missed.
Shocked by the sad news. I had the fortune to work with Stephanie on several projects where she demonstrated her high commitment and goodwill. My condolences to her beloved ones. We will miss her.
I think there are no words to comment situations like this one (and in general I’m not good with words). I've been working with Steph in a couple of project proposals preparation and now we were working together in AI-SPRINT. Steph was a very nice person and a very competent and committed colleague.
Silvana, Rita and Niccolo’ please give my condolence to her family.
Steph, wherever you are now, you are forever in our hearts and we will miss you a lot.
I remember Steph from my first days of joining Trust-IT. I was immediately impressed by her knowledge of the areas she worked in and I remember saying I wanted to be like her one day. I will always remember our lighthearted exchanges and bumping into her randomly around Pisa. Rest in peace.
I had the privilege to work with Steph for the past two years. She was a very knowledgeable colleague and the one from which I learned the most during my working experience in Trust-IT so far.
Steph, I will really miss you, your willingness to give me any piece of advice whenever you could, and your English sense of humour.
And I like to remember you with some words you told me once “Life’s a journey! Be good, learn from others, and have a laugh!”
Rest in peace dear Steph.
Steph was a truly decent human being with a strong moral compass and solid ideals, of which family, social justice and a strong work ethic ranked highly.
Steph also had a very big heart, a kind word to say always, and was renowned for her ability to soldier on in the face of adversity, with a quick quip of humour and a laugh and armed with her very private, innate strength and sense of self-reliance.
Steph always had something interesting and amusing to say, denoting her quiet intelligence and quick quit.
Never boastful, never proud, she was greatly respected and admired for both her hard work and great human warmth.
I have lovely memories of our time together at TRUST and I will miss her very much.
Rest in Peace dearest Steph
Dear Steph,
I haven't had the occasion to work with you a lot since I joined Trust-IT only six months ago.
Reading this board I cannot but confirm the excellent impression I have had of you for the limited time I could know you: you are truly a very talented and devoted professional, a kind soul always ready to help others and willing to share your vast knowledge and wisdom.
I remember the first thing you said to me very happily was I have the same name as your sister & I was glad to know this little piece of personal information as the first thing that you wanted to share.
I am so shocked for your early departure, but be ensured that many have been impressed and inspired by you here at Trust, as well as outside.
Rest in peace Stephanie, you will be truly missed
When I joined Trust-IT in January 2016, since the beginning Steph was a very dear colleague who helped me deeply in my professional growth and always gave me a hand when I was in need, in my work But also in my personal life (when its easy for others to disappear, she has shown up to give a hand or say a kind word, helping me with my struggles). As the famous quote, "good friends are like stars, you dont always see them but you know they are always there".
I miss her deeply.
I know we will meet again, sooner or later. "Até breve amiga"
Truly a great person to work with, Stephanie was always there for the fun but also the hard work. I will personally miss having Stephanie there to count on and IDC loses an important partner.
Condolences to Trust IT, her friends and family.
Perhaps humanly you are the best person I have ever met in my working life.
You were already out of sight from the start of the pandemic. I missed and will miss our chats about football.
I'd like to imagine that you were still in the old office in via Bixio, writing on the keyboard with a cigarette between your fingers.
RIp.
Steph has been a brilliant reference for many of us. May she be a brilliant Star in the Sky, leading with her light all who want to make this world a better place.
Thank you Steph, with love.
Steph, you've been one of the first voices I heard in our telcos in my new working life 14 years ago, and I won't forget it.
So many projects together...cannot believe it.
A big hug to the Trust-IT family
It was my pleasure to work with Steph and I'm really sad she will not be able to join us in future work. She was always full of ideas and peacefully taking all our craziness in.
Cara Steph, sei stata una bella persona, di una competenza enorme sul lavoro. ironica e divertente ma sopratutto sensibile, buona e generosa. È stato un dono averti conosciuta. Un pensiero commosso al tuo Rob, riposa in pace.
My deepest condolences to Stephanie's family, colleagues and friends.
It has always been a pleasure to work with her at both professional and personal level.
She will be greatly missed.
RIP Stephanie
It’s hard to believe you will not ping me on Skype anymore, or ring me for a quick brainstorm. I truly enjoyed these moments.
I admired your strategic and creative thinking, with an always o-so-down-to-earth practical roll-out. You went out of your way to bring in new ideas or link to new trends you had seen.
Your remarks were spot-on, full of enjoyable British humour and irony. I’ve learned so many new English sayings by just listening to you (some so rare I had to look them up). You were a very dear colleague to me Steph, I will miss you very much.
It is with great sadness that I learned of Steph's passing. I will remember her enthusiasm, voice-overs for videos and great humour at numerous events held in Brussels.
Dear Steph,
It's not easy for me to write this message "into the open", and I know you would understand.
But reading all the beautiful words dedicated to you, I can't help but join the choir.
I cannot choose between the too many things I'd like to say, but I know the first thing I'm going to miss is your contagious and wonderful laughter, and our Lord-of-the-Rings-themed little jokes!
Goodbye dear Steph!
It is really a deep pain to hear this now. She left behind love for her work, a great empathy for all her collaborators, an incredible practical intelligence that was immensely precious for all. I hope her legacy of love and proficiency will be up taken by someone. Ciao Steph we will miss you a lot.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Rest in peace, Stephanie
Steph, you were a truly positive and kindest person I had the honour to work with. Everything of you, your words, comments, messages, laughs had the magic to make comfortable everybody. Your attitude of collaboration, proactiveness, and your suggestions, point of view, insights, actions really and personally taught me a lot about trust and see humanity and friendship in all work collaborators.
Your laughs will going to miss them so much.
May you Rest In Peace and lovely remembered from everyone was lucky enough to meet you.
Stephanie was a wonderful person and fantastic collaborator. An absolute pleasure to work with, she worked around the clock to turn a large, complex application into a success story. We will miss her as team member and as a brilliant mind to exchange ideas with in the evenings. Above all we will miss her generosity of spirit.
Dear Steph,
During my very first day of the employment trial period at Trust-IT, I was sitting next to you. One of my colleagues told me to talk to you to get some tasks to do.
I looked at you and you were so busy that I hesitated for a while to interrupt you, fearing a wrong reaction. But I was wrong, you actually did the opposite. That day, you immediately stopped working on your task to focus on helping me. You were gentle and smiling. You were joking and always had an answer for our problems. You were available and willing to help. Since that day, I have always seen you like that. No matter how busy you were, you were always there for others. I will always respect and remember you for that. Even in stressful times, you were there to cheer us up with a laugh and with a solution.
Working together I could only see a glimpse of your personality, but what I saw was very valuable.
I am so deeply sorry.
Thank you, Stephanie. You will be missed.
Luigi
I am very sorry for this loss. I met Steph at the beginning of the collaboration of BSC with Trust-IT, around 15 years ago. Since then, we have gone through multiple joint projects and events that we organized together. She was always enthusiastic and at the same time ready to help. We will miss you Steph. A big hug to family, friends, and Trust-IT members.
I am literally shocked of this news.
We worked together in many activities, in these years, and was always a pleasure. A great professional and a great person...
U are going to be really missed, Steph
It was so reassuring to work with you, with your positive and calm approach to any sort of complex issues, with your great empathy and generosity, giving the best from your British and likewise your Italian ways. My colleagues at UCSC and myself will miss you very much. Condolences to your family, friends and colleagues. May God bless you.
I'm deeply saddened and shocked to hear about this terrible news. Dear Steph, when I said goodbye to you and many other colleagues two years ago, I could have never suspected that I would not see you again. A very last image of you remains impressed in my mind: a goodbye in the kitchen in the old office in via Zerboglio and you leaving with a laugh. With that contagious laughter I will remember you. My condolences to Robert and to all the Trust-IT family.
steph, trovavo difficile ma realmente stimolante il comprendere il tuo perfetto "accento inglese" pieno di ttt e suoni guttuali, perchè eri persona colta e affabile nel lavoro, son dispiaciuto.. Il suono della tua voce resterà nella mia memoria a rappresentare la bella collaborazione nei progetti europei di questi anni.
eph, I found it difficult but really stimulating to understand your perfect "English accent" full of ttt and guttual sounds, because you were cultured and affable at work, I'm sorry .. The sound of your voice will remain in my memory to represent the beautiful collaboration in the European projects of recent years.
Dear Steph, I hope you can find some good people there to have some good technical discussions with - all I can say is that we are going to miss you here and that we will never forget how much you have contributed to become the company we are now. May you rest in peace
Thank you Stephanie for all you did in the context of the only project we have done together. You have been attentive, efficient, always sharp. When you were taking care of a task, we knew it would work, we were fully confident. It was a real pleasure working with you.
I wished we could have shared many more projects.
My sincerest condolences to your family.
My sincere condolence on Stephanie"s untimely passing. To her nearest and dearest that she leaves behind. May you find comfort in the love of friends and family. The Lord is near and comforts the broken hearted.
Dear Steph,
I finally dragged myself to write something to remember the special times spent together, since until yesterday i couldn't do more than staring blankly at the screen.
To me, You have been a lighthouse to look at when i was aimlessly swimming in dire straits at the very beginning of my experience at Trust-IT and you taught me some of the most important aspects of this job. Even when not working together on a daily basis, i can't recall once you turned your back on me, even for tiny tips or suggestions, you were always there.
I'll always keep in my memories the coffee breaks with Niccolò, the 3 of us squeezed in the tiny balcony of Zerboglio, even when we were freezing outside. And many more happy moments within those walls.
I and we will miss you so much Stephanie.
May you rest in peace, ci rivedremo lo so.
Francesco O.
Dear Steph,
it was a great pleasure to work with you during these years. Thanks for your kindness, positivity and great irony. I will always remember your unique laugh and characteristic accent.
We will miss you a lot.
May you rest in peace.
Dear Steph,
Your curiosity and foresight have always been inspiring. You had a way with words, written or not, like few do and your sense of humour was unparalleled. Rest in peace.
Such a terrible loss, I still cannot believe it...
Sincerest condolences to Rob and everyone.
Robert, I have been lucky enough to work with your mother for the past three years on a project and in preparing some proposals; she was a perfect blend of professionalism, competence, dedication, sympathy, energy … plus a pinch of British humor. I will miss her. You must be proud of her.
Ti ho conosciuta attraverso i racconti che Rita mi ha fatto di te, nel corso della sua esperienza lavorativa. Era un po' come averti incontrata e questa tragica, improvvisa e prematura tua dipartita mi ha addolorato profondamente. Riposa in pace
Dear Steph,
I will never forget you.
Un'intelligenza brillante e profonda, una mente acuta e appassionata, sempre curiosa, attenta e divertente.
Generosa, sensibile e gentile, unica ed irripetibile Steph!
Resterai sempre nei miei ricordi, con tantissimo affetto e stima.
I wish Stephanie could read all those warm words written by all. This is the best proof of the respect we all had for her.
Rest in peace Stef! Our condolences to your beloved ones.
Cara Steph,
You left too fast even if in any case in this life time passes fast. You were an extremely kind and sensitive person.
Whenever I asked you something, you always replied “You are more than welcome at any time”. This shows how you were. We will miss you very much, you have been a pillar of Trust-IT.
You will always be in our memories.
My sincere condolences to all of Stephanie's loved ones. Stephanie was a great team player, she kept our feet on the ground, our eyes on the timelines and our focus on communicating to others. She will be missed.
Ciao cara Stephanie, che la terra ti sia lieve. Our deepest sympathies go out to Robert and to the whole TRUST-IT family for this terrible loss. It has been a pleasure to work with you Stephanie. You will be missed. Riposa in pace.
We haven't had many chances to work together, but in the few times we've spoken your kindness and competence were striking.
You will be missed, Steph.
My condolences to your family and your loved ones.
Steph, it was a true pleasure to work with and learn from you in my short time in Pisa. Your diligence towards work and great sense of humour is something that will stick with me forever. I was so sad to learn of your illness but hope and pray for all the best for your family and son in the future. Rest in peace and lots of love. Alex x
I still cannot believe you're not there Steph. 15 years of working with you and having a great friend. Critical moments, digging deep to help each other out, project after project, objectives, impact sections, position papers, policy recommendations, changing agendas, travelling around Europe improving texts with a sea-change here and sea-change there, you helped me with the lot. So much patience and every question, you’d help me out and I know, everyone else in the company too. Brussels, Barcelona, Riga, Brussels again and even bloody Ipswich! Chats about a Britain long-gone, tedious show-offs and the famous Foxes. We always, always had a good laugh. If you cannot laugh about it then it’s not worth it.
There’s a big Steph-shaped hole now and I miss you terribly Kidda.
Ciao Parky, I still cannot believe that you are gone… and that I won´t be hearing anymore your voice calling me “Gara” with a playful look on your face. Your journey has been short but also very intense. I will never forget the long days we spent together at work… your dedication and passion for work was amazing… whatever was happening you were there at the office sitting at your desk in the corner … usually quite silent… but also ready to throw a super funny joke that made all of us exploding in a big laugh… You were a very private person but you were able to connect with people in a very easy way… in bad times, you always had comforting words for me ... and that way with your tiny hands to hug me and tell me: "Gara … everything will be ok" … I am sorry that I wasn´t there to tell you the same…
You will be missed Parky... It was a pleasure sharing the journey with you… Rest in peace
It is with a heavy hart that I write these words. I have had the pleasure to work with Steph for about 6 years in two different EU projects. She was always a very positive, kind, helpful, and an inspiring colleague. I did learn a great deal about scientific communication and dissemination from her, which is something I will cherish for the rest of my career. My most heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. You will always be remembered and deeply missed.
I didn´t have the change to get to know Stephanie but I would like to express my condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues at Trust-IT with whom I have been working in EU-funded projects.
Honestly, I still can’t believe that Steph is not with us anymore. Steph was one of the most intelligent people I know, sweet and very dear to me. And, I’m very grateful to work with her. She’s always the best person I run to whenever I have questions, even after working hours. I’m always inspired to work with her and learn from her best practices. No one will call me Juls now in the office. I love you Steph and thank you very everything!
RIP Steph (polarbear)
Dear Stephanie. I was so shocked and so sad on Monday morning. I could not believe this… This is hard to think that we will never again interact with you, that we will never again talk, brainstorm, plan, organize, act and achieve with you. We are all very sad since Monday morning. Thanks again Stephanie for your professionalism, commitment, enthusiasm, kindness… I am honoured and pleased having worked with you. My deepest condolences to your family, friends and colleagues. You will be missed Stephanie.
Gli occhi specchio della sincerità ed il volto amico sul terrazzo delle sigarette. Grazie di esserci stata <3 Forever in my thoughts <3
Dear Stephanie, you are departing too soon...
I can only express my gratitude for having had the opportunity to work with you in both proposals writing and project execution. Also, for having had the chance to meet you in person before this (regrettably) fully on-line period.
I was lucky to come across such a wise, competent and valid professional, and also to share moments with you in social events know a bit more about you. I will remember you as a nice, friendly, warm and easy-going person, definitively British but for sure you had the Italian touch.
I am one of those who believe people do not die for ever, so I believe you are now in a better place looking at us.
All my condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and anyone who loved her.
I have learned today about this sad news and it still looks incredible. It was a real pleasure to work with Stephanie, as she always had the right word for everyone, from techie freaks to administrative specialists. She helped everyone and was always there. We will miss you, Stephanie!!
I have known Stephanie for over 4 years we worked together in committee helping developing webinars and face to face conferences. Stephanie was always open to new suggestions and ideas and approaches , and was so dedicated to her work. Stephanie was my friend , and I will miss her.
I never had the opportunity to meet up with Stephanie in person. But I had the chance to collaborate with her on the preparation of a proposal. I highlight her great professionalism and perfection at making things done with the best quality possible. And also her coomunication skills. Being an english native, she perfectly understood others could not have the same level of English. So she was always talking smoothly, spending time to comunicate as clearly as possible, thus demonstrating her team spirit. I hope we will win this proposal and give more tribute to Stephanie.
Stephanie was the first person I met and worked with when I came to Trust. I had the privilege of working uninterruptedly with her ever since that first occasion. I say “privilege” because not everybody was lucky enough to get to spend time with her and enjoy not only her competence and brilliance, but her empathy, humor, and good will. You always felt better after spending time with Stephanie. You were spending time with a friend who had your best interests in mind. That’s as good as it gets.
I received this sad news with shock and dismay! I had the honour to be Steph's colleague and partner in a 5G project. Her personality and energy was immense, this kept us going even in challenging situations and allowed us to achieve what we previously thought unachievable. She will be greatly missed by us all. I convey special condolences to her family and colleagues at Trust-IT. Rest in Eternal Peace Steph.
Always kind, she balanced countless responsibilities and inquiries with grace, patience, and insight.
Though I only knew her through emails and the occasional call, I am glad to have had the opportunity to know her, if only a little. I can only imagine how much her loss will have been a shock and a blow for those who knew her well, and I'm sure she'll be dearly missed.
My thoughts go out to her family and loved ones, in their time of bereavement. I wish them all the very best.
May you rest peacefully, Steph. Thank you for everything.
I have been working with Stephanie several years, I regret her loss and already miss her a lot.
One of the best persons I have ever crossed in my professional life, I regret never having met her
RIP
Dear Steph, I haven't had many chances to work with you directly during my time here, but I have always found your comments and insights helpful and relevant.
I don't really have much to say, I just wanted to share this brief quote with you from a song by one of my favourite bands (Anathema) - which maybe you also liked, I don't know - "Life is not the opposite of death. Death is the opposite of birth. Life is eternal."
Although I never met Stephanie in person, I was always impressed by her enthusiasm and energy. Her voice is still in my head from these many telcos we had and I still cannot believe that she is not with us anymore. Its a tragic loss of a friend and great co-worker. Condolences to the team of Trust IT, her friends and family.
I am deeply sorry by the very sudden passing of Stephanie. I was still interacting with her last week... I just cannot believe that she is not with us any longer. I would like to express all my sincere condolences to her family, and also to her colleagues at Trust-IT. She was an accomplished professional, and it has always been a delight to work with her. She will be missed for sure.