In Memory of Hans de Graaff

Message

Post by **sam_** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 4:47 pm

We share the tragic news that Hans de Graaff (graaff), a longtime Gentoo developer, has passed away.

Hans was a dedicated member of the Gentoo community for over 20 years, near single-handedly maintaining Ruby ecosystem support. He also brought his careful attention to important security work in Gentoo in the last few years.

Kind, patient, and dedicated - we mourn the loss of a wonderful colleague.

Our deepest condolences to his family. Donations in his memory can be made for CAR T cell therapy at the LUMC Foundation. Details on the funeral (including an online stream) to be held on 2026-03-02 can be obtained by contacting Elvike Reitsma (elvike AT winkwaves.com).

Please join us in remembering Hans below.

b11n · Post by **b11n** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 6:39 pm

20 years is a long time. We can never thank one enough for selflessly giving so much of their effort for the greater good.

I did not know you, but thank you, and rest in peace.

wickedlester · Post by **wickedlester** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 7:34 pm

Condolences to his family and may he rest in peace

Thybolt · Post by **Thybolt** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 8:33 pm

As i'm trying to get more involved with gentoo i'm humbly reminded of what
beauty there is in giving without asking back. Building something truly great
for everyone to come and build upon.

Thank you very much.

May you be in peace.

Simba7 · Post by **Simba7** » Thu Feb 26, 2026 9:20 pm

Fair winds and following seas.

monkeyboy537 · Post by **monkeyboy537** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 1:41 am

May he rest in peace

NathanZachary · Post by **NathanZachary** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 5:44 am

He was such an outstanding developer and person. He will be missed.
Rest in peace, Hans.

Website · Post by **Zucca** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 7:30 am

My condolences.

Post by **Banana** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 9:06 am

My condolences.

immolo · Post by **immolo** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 9:25 am

I've only spoke to Graaff a couple times over the years, which is a testament to just how well he maintained the Ruby ecosystem and Apache project.

It was always a pleasure when I did though, and you will be missed.

Rest in peace Graaf and my condolences to his family and his friends.

New at Gentoo · Post by **pietinger** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 12:19 pm

My condolences.

therijn · Post by **therijn** » Fri Feb 27, 2026 10:26 pm

My condolences to his friends & family

Post by **Nowa** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 9:56 am

I think the commitment of Hans to Gentoo cannot be overstated, truly inspirational. I happened to glance at the git log and found that his latest commit was mere weeks before he passed. I unfortunately did not have the honour of working a lot with Hans directly, but with a track record of 20 years I know that losing him hits our community and our project hard.

Hans, we will miss you, and we will remember you.

Perfect Gentleman · Post by **Perfect Gentleman** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 1:25 pm

Requiescat In Pace.

kurisu · Post by **kurisu** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 2:22 pm

So sad. My condolences.

lost+found · Post by **lost+found** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 2:44 pm

Heroes bringing progress over the years for all of us. Hans was one, ...
and the unknown researchers trying to find a cure for that terrible disease.

With gratitude, my sincere condolences to his family and friends.

V-Li · Post by **V-Li** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:54 pm

Thanks Hans, wherever you are now.

Back in my days as active developer I was part of the GNU Emacs teams, while Hans was maintaining XEmacs. You can tell a lot about his attitude when considering how smoothly we cooperated to keep both software going, even though he was on the dark side.

CooSee · Post by **CooSee** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 8:36 pm

My deepest condolences.

Lemon-Lime · Post by **Lemon-Lime** » Sat Feb 28, 2026 9:36 pm

My deepest condolences.

I wish all his loved ones the best.

Post by **Maffblaster** » Mon Mar 02, 2026 5:20 am

I've personally been the the beneficiary of Hans' work in the Ruby eco over the years. Thank you for your contributions, Hans!

Post by **csfore** » Mon Mar 02, 2026 1:58 pm

Thank you Hans for being one of my mentors, I'll always remember you. May you rest in peace now.

kernlpanic · Post by **kernlpanic** » Tue Mar 03, 2026 2:00 am

I didn't really know him but of course I saw his name,work and dedication for the project.
May he rest in peace and condolences to his family and friends.

Thanks you very much.

clan · Post by **clan** » Fri Mar 06, 2026 7:30 am

I just found out about this today, RIP!

FilthyPitDog · Post by **FilthyPitDog** » Sat Mar 07, 2026 3:44 am

May he rest in peace

penetrode · Post by **penetrode** » Sun Mar 08, 2026 1:14 pm

How tragic. I'm so sorry.

Thanks for everything, Hans.

My condolences to his family.

In Memory of Hans de Graaff

In Memory of Hans de Graaff

Re: In Memory of Hans de Graaff