Anne Walter, former EMBL Heidelberg administrator, passed away on Sunday 19 December 2023 at the age of 80.

We are deeply saddened to share the news of the loss of Anne Walter. Anne worked as an administrator in the Griffiths Group within the Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit at EMBL Heidelberg from 1975 until 2008.

I knew Anne from the early days of EMBL, and kept a friendship with her until the end, speaking to her last on the phone a month before she died.

Anne was a full-blooded person, with a unique loud laugh who radiated enthusiasm about most things. But if she was not happy with anything, she would soon let you know. In my last decade at EMBL, when I was co-chair of the Staff Association, I had the pleasure of having Anne as my personal secretary. I would write scientific papers and other documents by hand and give them to Anne to type in the morning, by the late afternoon I would have up to ten pages of typed material. From my scribbled documents, Anne would highlight illegible text with a yellow marker, and amazingly it would only be one or two words per page. The fact that emerged unequivocally was that she could read my handwriting better than I could! And if I had been sloppy in describing to her what needed to be typed, she would for sure tell me off. 

She reminded me recently that she typed a joke poem I wrote for Sir John Kendrew when he left EMBL, entitled ‘Myoglobin cream’. She had a very good memory.  Anne was a highly intelligent lady with a genuine sense of justice and fairness, that was combined with a strong social sense; she also loved to chat and gossip.

Anne suffered enormously in her last few years years, especially with continuous back pain that was due to the cancer that had spread to her spine. And yet she remained strong and feisty to the end. Despite this, the end was cruel to her – she missed meeting her first grandson Charlie, who was born a few days before she passed away. Our deepest condolences to her sons Simon and Mark and their families, especially Charlie.  

Anne Walter was a uniquely strong character- we will really miss her. 

Gareth Griffiths, Group Leader, EMBL Heidelberg, 1977-2009

Condolences

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