Such immensely sad news for everyone that ever knew you Stef. Thank you for your knowledge, leadership and loyalty over the 8 years that I was fortunate enough to be working for you, and so grateful to have shared some time and drinks with you and the team in Winchester before Christmas. My heart goes out to Frances, Jaco and Charl - thank you for a beautiful and fitting ceremony that was a privilege to attend and may all the joyful memories give you strength and comfort. Rest in peace Stef. Laura

Dear Francis and Family Although its been awhile since we have seen each other the friendship was never far. Stef was a great man and friend. Most caring and always so helpful. I will always cherish our fun times & flying days together for as long as I live. He will be sadly missed. Just know that you are in my thoughts and prayers My deepest sympathies Shorty

We had the wonderful privilege of knowing Stef and Frances as a colleague and best friends from his South African Air Force days...great times spent and very fond memories made with two beautiful and very special people! RiP Stefaans. Baie sterkte Frances, ons dink aan julle. Baie liefde André en Elsabé Wait

To the Malan Family. I met Stef just once over a braai , but I very much enjoyed that occasion. I found him to be a man of great humour and great life experiences . There is no doubt ,Stef will be greatly missed by Family and Friends. Take strength and faith in that he was a great light in all your loves. Best wishes , Seamus & Carol x

I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to have worked closely with Stef over the past 13 years. He was both a tenacious leader, manager, and an all-round great human. I am deeply saddened that he has been taken from us all before his time. I very much owe my current career to his vision to create our department from next to nothing, recruit a merry band of waifs and strays into it and to grow it into something bigger and better than its component parts. In doing so he has given me professional satisfaction, great colleagues, and lifelong friends. Professionally he was a great man-manager - he could persuade you to make a 180° turn in your position and let you believe it was your idea! He soaked up many lines of my email rants about the latest frustration and would talk straightforwardly and fairly, giving credit where it was due and challenging where your case was weak. He would go into battle for his team, employing heavyweight political skill, and we in return would do whatever he requested. You never felt more powerful and self-assured than when going into a difficult meeting with Stef at your side. He was knowledgeable too, encyclopaedic even! A master of both the dark-arts of corporate politics and his subject-matter. He could recall a telephone book's worth of names from the top of his head, with detailed histories that always gave me the impression he'd clearly touched a lot of people’s lives and knew all the key players. When the work was done and we could relax together, it was always easy-going having a beer or two with Stef: never stuffy or forced like it can be with 'bosses'. I’m grateful now we managed a 2021 Christmas work-do, an all too brief romp through Winchester, after the enforced separation of the prior two years. There he talked freely about his pride in his family, modest hopes for the future and retirement, and we pondered a world without him in our professional lives. I'll miss the relaxed chats, beer in hand, while he walked us through some old war-story, and we all put the (often aviation) world to rights. In my memory his war-stories never put himself as the hero in the piece, so I'll have to ask his forgiveness (rather than his permission - as he would surely advise) if I can try make him the hero of this one? Rest easy Stef, you'll be missed. My deepest condolences to Frances, Jaco and Charl. Chris OB

Dear Frances, Jaco and Charl, my sincere condolences to you all. I was lucky to work with Stef and always enjoyed our interactions. He was always pragmatic, reflective and very supportive to all who worked with him. The loss of Stef will be felt by many at NATS, he made a positive impact on all who got to know him. Thinking of you. Sarah Swann

I was shocked and saddened to hear of Stef’s passing. I will always remember Stef as a disciplined leader, knowledgeable mentor and role model, but who also had a big heart and demonstrated kindness, compassion and humour. Stef was truly one of a kind and he will be greatly missed. My sincere condolences for your loss. Ian

Stef was like no other. A gentle giant who could be relied upon always. I had the pleasure of working with Stef for many years, he was a commensurate professional and his technical knowledge was, and never will be, matched by any. I was truly shocked to hear of his passing. Taken too soon and missed, I am certain, by many. He will leave a gap unable to be filled. My condolences to you all. Val

My deepest condolences on your loss. I had the privilege of working with Stef from when I started at Heathrow House some ten years ago, and I will remember him as a gentle giant, whose kindness shone through. Gone too soon.

I've known Stef for all of his, nearly twenty, years of working in NATS and he stood head and shoulders, literally and metaphorically, out from the crowd throughout. His knowledge and expertise, alone, shone out in an organisation built from specialist talent. I saw these words recently; To grieve you have first to truly love someone. There's a lot of shared grief out there for Stef's passing. My thoughts are with you all at this incredibly sad time.

My deepest condolences for your loss, it truly is heart breaking news. I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of working with Stef for over 7 years; throughout he was always a trusted colleague and a highly professional individual – standards which he set himself and expected of others in return. My lasting memory of Stef will always be how softly spoken he was for such a giant of a man – almost unnerving at first experience, however Stef took great care to make everyone he dealt with feel at ease through his contagious humour and warm smile. NATS was very lucky to benefit from Stef’s experience and insight in the specialised area of commercial Procedure Design, an area he had a total passion for; he was clearly a world class expert and thrived on the technical challenges he was often presented with. Stef will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers with you all. Rest in peace big man. Pauly Carroll

My sincere condolences to Frances, Jaco and Charl. Stef was a credit to you all! He was an incredibly knowledgeable, professional, loyal and trusted colleague, who has left us far too soon! I had the pleasure of working with Stef for approximately a decade and I will really miss his honesty and sense of humour. I first got to know Stef when he was based in Qatar and had the pleasure of going out for a meal and a beer with him whenever I visited Doha, which I always enjoyed. My thoughts are with you all. Mike H

Dear Frances and boys- so sorry to hear this news. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We have happy memories of your time in Colerne- bible studies, childrens club and bbqs in the snow!! Much love from Frankie and Nigel, Tamsin and Beth Isaac xxx

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Stefan. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.

I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was.