Due to COVID-19 regulations, we are required to limit the in-house attendance of the church gathering. Attendance is therefore by invitation only. We will be live-streaming the service. The YouTube link is as follows: https://youtu.be/YCKz6iYbcNY
We thank you for your understanding, love, and support as we honour her extraordinary life.
A private family cremation will be conducted at the Maitland Crematorium in Cape Town, at 10 am on 31 March 2021.
We look forward to reading all your wonderful stories and experiences, which you have shared with Tania.
UCT Faculty of Health Sciences, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
This is a closed event, by invitation only. Please feel free to use the Zoom link access details provided in the attached file and participate with UCT to celebrate Tania's achievements and life.
Giving
Charitable Donations in Honor of Tania Samantha Douglas
Select a charity of your choice or another one that was personally meaningful to Tania Samantha Douglas
We created a GatheringUs memorial to celebrate the life of Tania Samantha Douglas. Collecting your stories and memories here will offer us great comfort. Click on the heart to let us know you were here and to receive email updates. Thank you for contributing to this lasting memorial.
OBITUARY
The University of Cape Town executive has posted the following remembrance notice on their website:https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2021-03-26-in-remembrance-professor-tania-douglasBesides Tania's academic duties, she also served on the board of the company CapeRay; their remembrance notice may be accessed via the following link:https://www.caperay.com/blog/in-memoriam-tania-douglas/
I first met Tania in 1997 in Glasgow when we shared an apartment. It was an unforgettable year – Tania, Fariha and I got on so well, we even travelled during the holidays together to Bonn, Cologne and Freiburg. We shared a lot of our innermost - the... moreI first met Tania in 1997 in Glasgow when we shared an apartment. It was an unforgettable year – Tania, Fariha and I got on so well, we even travelled during the holidays together to Bonn, Cologne and Freiburg. We shared a lot of our innermost - the good, the bad and the ugly - warts and all. 🙂 By the end of that Uni year we knew we were sisters for life.
Tania introduced me to aspects of life I had not yet encountered:
• Nutella - While we tucked the Nutella on our hips, Tania remained lean n lovely!
• The Beautiful South - Many a Scottish rainy day was spent listening to them - Listening to them now takes me right back to that rainy day in Scotland when Tania and I spent the whole day listening to the album over and over again!
• Amarula - Tania introduced us to Amarula – to date I have never gone back to Baileys - I think I always keep a bottle at hand because it is like having a wee piece of Tania at home.
The three of us had this plan to build a commune where we would live together. However, life could not have flung us further apart – Cape Town, UK and Australia. Despite geographical challenges, we always managed to share our lives and maintain the sisterhood. Tania gate crashed my honeymoon twice - both times in India
We last caught up in Europe at the end of 2018 – in Madrid! My biggest regret is going to be not coming to Cape Town in 2019 when Tania had asked in her quiet way that I should try and make it. Not making it to Cape Town hurts and will be a lifelong regret. Fariha, Tania and I had recently talked about making plans to meet up again for another reunion in Cape Town as soon as COVID was over. Deep down I did not want even remotely consider we might never see each other again.
There is so much to miss about Tania. Most of all I will miss Tania’s zest for life.
Love you and miss you loads my friend
Anu xoxoxo less
Dear family, friends, and colleagues of Tania.
For those of you who could not attend the church memorial service, attached here is a PDF flipbook of the memorial service booklet.
Best wishes
Trevor Volkwyn
This interactive flipbook is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!
I have had the privilege to know and share experiences with Tania since uni days in Strathclyde. She has always been a gentle, courageous soul whose positivity and sensibility has affected me in many ways.
I will always be thankful that I had the... moreI have had the privilege to know and share experiences with Tania since uni days in Strathclyde. She has always been a gentle, courageous soul whose positivity and sensibility has affected me in many ways.
I will always be thankful that I had the opportunity to know and be friends with Tania, and I will cherish her memory always. My sincerest condolences to Tania's parents, family, friends colleagues. Tania, I will miss you very much! less
Tania supervised me during my degree at UCT in 2007. She was a huge influence in developing my interest in the biomedical field which ultimately led to the direction I took over the last 10 years. Tania had a huge impact on her students.
The last time, I got to see Tania. Back in 2017 was at Uncle Stan’s 80th birthday party. I’ll remember her as the smart (that is understatement, smiling cousin, was hoping the next time I visit South Africa I would have seen her again. But my... moreThe last time, I got to see Tania. Back in 2017 was at Uncle Stan’s 80th birthday party. I’ll remember her as the smart (that is understatement, smiling cousin, was hoping the next time I visit South Africa I would have seen her again. But my condolences to the rest of the family we will all miss her. Also the photo of the last time I saw her is with this post. less
This one is from a friend of Tania's, Prof. Sebastian van As:
Tribute to Tania Douglas
“those who the Gods love, they take young”
It is hard to write about someone who you miss, I miss dear Tania in several ways:
As a Board member
ChildSafe... moreThis one is from a friend of Tania's, Prof. Sebastian van As:
Tribute to Tania Douglas
“those who the Gods love, they take young”
It is hard to write about someone who you miss, I miss dear Tania in several ways:
As a Board member
ChildSafe South Africa is an NGO with the vision to make South Africa a safer place for all its children. As a Board member of ChildSafe South Africa, Tania was always vibrant, full of good ideas and suggestions as to how goals could be best achieved. She always brought her thoughts in a friendly and practical way. Her experience as a senior managerial academic no doubt helped her in that direction. We will miss her warm professional suggestions and ideas, always brought with a beautiful smile.
As an Academic colleague
Over the last 20 years Tania and I collaborated on numerous academic research projects and together published a few dozen peer-reviewed scientific papers. I leave it to others to list the numerous achievements and prizes she so-deservedly collected. Academically, Tania was always razor-sharp, had a tremendous work ethic and on top of all that, a strong desire for projects to be carried through to the bitter end. She was an excellent academic writer, certainly a result of her very-well organized and intelligent mind. She was able to perform background reading, create connections between publications and cut through to the bare essentials in no time at all on virtually any topic. I will miss her dearly for that.
As a close friend
Tania and I have been close friends for a very long time. Among other things, we spent a few weeks climbing Mount Annapurna in the Himalaya under dire circumstances; saw numerous movies together and enjoyed theatre, opera and (mostly classical) concerts.
It was always a delight to have her around, with her warm smile and analytical and witty mind – always keen to instantly deliver an in-depth and throat-cutting critic, presented with a tongue-in-cheek devious mischievous smile…
What amazed me most about her was her continuous bright mood and everlasting optimism; this while for a significant part of her adult life she was living under this dark cloud which eventually got hold of her in a very unpleasant manner.
Our last meal out, a luncheon somewhere in Newlands during the end of January, she was struggling to walk properly and couldn’t cut her food, and still she was positive and making plans to come visit me in Limpopo once she was better…. although both of us knew better. When I was informed about her imminent decease, it was on a Sunday morning and I was hiking in a nature reserve outside Polokwane and I was surrounded by beautiful nature, original, hilly, Highveld bush field, an enormous variety of beautiful singing birds and an immense peace.
With my entire heart, I hope she finally can enjoy these.
Sebastian van As
Ex-Chair: ChildSafe South Africa less
The two traits about Tania that I most admired were her engaging smile and her ability to make everything she did seem effortless:
Tania was always smiling, always friendly. I can't think of a single occasion in my many years at UCT that I saw her in a... moreThe two traits about Tania that I most admired were her engaging smile and her ability to make everything she did seem effortless:
Tania was always smiling, always friendly. I can't think of a single occasion in my many years at UCT that I saw her in a bad mood, frustrated or flustered. Her enthusiasm always buoyed everybody around her.
It always looked like Tania was on top of things. Everything she touched was a success. It all seemed effortless, yet I know she worked really hard, too. It was her talent, her skill, her drive, her bright intellect and her vivacious personality that was the secret. She made time for her students, she did first-class research, she found funding for projects and kept our Lodox Programme running smoothly; and she liked to nurture research contacts and friendships.
Tania learned German and Italian (it seems like she did it "just for fun") -- sometimes we'd speak a bit of German when we passed each other in the corridors at Biomedical Engineering at UCT. Occasionally we'd exchange a few ideas about a hike I was planning on doing, or a place I was going to visit. She loved to travel.
A well-rounded person, a well-liked person, and someone who achieved so much in such a short time; something we all should aspire to.
My condolences to her family, her friends and colleagues, her students and the many people whose lives she touched. less
Tania and I have had so many conversations and shared experiences about travel, food, family, people, everyday living. We first met in 1998 in Edinburgh when I visited our friend Fariha. In 2007, the three of us, from different countries and continents,... moreTania and I have had so many conversations and shared experiences about travel, food, family, people, everyday living. We first met in 1998 in Edinburgh when I visited our friend Fariha. In 2007, the three of us, from different countries and continents, met up for a safari vacation in Kenya. Since then, there had been numerous trips and meetups around the world. Tania was super supportive of my never-ending need to sample the local cheese, chocolates, pastries, and pretty much every snack in local supermarkets, and she shared the calories! She also shared her prized possessions including her mum’s jams and her aunt’s koeksisters. It was so cool that we had the same shirts, water bottles, baking cups, fridge magnets, hair products…. She demonstrated how to embrace life, that it is totally possible to balance work and adventures and have fun. Most of all she valued the relationships with everyone. In-person visits around the world with her collaborators, friends and family were essential. I am so blessed to have her as my dear friend. My sincerest condolences to Tania’s parents and family. less
Tania,
I was fortunate to have met you through Fariha and get to know you over the years during our numerous “girls’ trips”-
Morocco, Cyprus, Chicago, Portugal, Gran Canaria and Edinburgh. Thank you for hosting Fariha, Elaine and I in Cape Town in... moreTania,
I was fortunate to have met you through Fariha and get to know you over the years during our numerous “girls’ trips”-
Morocco, Cyprus, Chicago, Portugal, Gran Canaria and Edinburgh. Thank you for hosting Fariha, Elaine and I in Cape Town in February 2020- the ultimate girls’ trip. We are so blessed to have been able to spend those two weeks together. Rest well, dear Tania. You will be missed dearly.
My deepest condolences to Tania’s parents and family. less
We met in the fall of 1997 and we (Tania, Anu and I) became like sisters. Despite Tania returning to Cape Town and I settling in Scotland we managed to see each other at least once a year nearly every year and it always impressed and touched me that... moreWe met in the fall of 1997 and we (Tania, Anu and I) became like sisters. Despite Tania returning to Cape Town and I settling in Scotland we managed to see each other at least once a year nearly every year and it always impressed and touched me that Tania could incredibly remember the dates of all our adventures over these years! I have so, so many wonderful, fun, happy and precious memories of our year as flatmates, our travels and reunions. I loved Tania's free spirit but also her even-keeled, easy going, kind nature and her words of wisdom. Tania had accomplished so much professionally but I feel she was just hitting her stride.
Tania, thank you for choosing me to be your flatmate and the 24 years of cherished friendship that followed. My most frequent travel companion and occupant of my spare room, I miss you terribly and will deeply feel your absence in my life.
Tania made meaningful friendships, so I know I am not alone in feeling this loss. My heartfelt condolences to Tania's parents and family, her friends, colleagues and collaborators. less
This is surely a sad loss. I met Tania at a conference in Sweden and had even there , oceans away from home, she was so welcoming and incited interesting discussions. She also made my conference memorable as she met with my supervisor and they started... moreThis is surely a sad loss. I met Tania at a conference in Sweden and had even there , oceans away from home, she was so welcoming and incited interesting discussions. She also made my conference memorable as she met with my supervisor and they started discussing interesting aspects of research whilst having fun. She was such an inspiration and I had always envisioned working with her as I was inspired by her work. MHSRIP less
I met Tania just under 30 years ago when we both travelled to the US on a global scholarship program. We became friends on that trip and the relationship lasted a lifetime. In the next 30 years we spoke almost every week, read each other’s writings,... moreI met Tania just under 30 years ago when we both travelled to the US on a global scholarship program. We became friends on that trip and the relationship lasted a lifetime. In the next 30 years we spoke almost every week, read each other’s writings, advised each other on our respective careers and spoke endlessly about family and loved ones. We both loved food and so would go out to new restaurants whenever I was in Cape Town or when she came to Johannesburg. I went to see her just before I departed SA and it broke my heart when she asked me to water the plants. I knew how independent she was. She also said to me that she will not be there when I returned home. I scolded her for those words but I suppose I did so because I feared that she would be right. When I phoned that Sunday as I would every few days, I went cold when Aubrey answered the phone. It had to be bad news, but I hoped that I was wrong. A week later Tania was physically gone. Who will I now turn to for reading and editing my work? She could write ... for an engineer. Who will I ask for advice when I am at a crossroads? Who will I now discuss share markets with, an odd interest that both of us shared. We once discussed the contradictions in our lives - an interest in shares being one of them - and her simple answer was that Life is Complicated. This was the Tania I knew - sensible, smart and utterly practical. It is this that I will most miss... forever. less
Tania was truly amazing. We met in Glasgow when doing our PhD. She was sharing a flat in the campus with Anu and Faria, and I was in the flat next door. We became friends immediately, and had great fun all together. She was a true fighter, so smart and... moreTania was truly amazing. We met in Glasgow when doing our PhD. She was sharing a flat in the campus with Anu and Faria, and I was in the flat next door. We became friends immediately, and had great fun all together. She was a true fighter, so smart and kind. Will be missed. My sincere condolences. less
“Cousins are connected by heart, distance cannot break them apart”
This was true for Tania and I from mere childhood. We grew up in a loving family and always tried to see each other as much as we can . I will miss seeing you on my trip home to RSA... more“Cousins are connected by heart, distance cannot break them apart”
This was true for Tania and I from mere childhood. We grew up in a loving family and always tried to see each other as much as we can . I will miss seeing you on my trip home to RSA and catching up in USA. I never told you this but you one of my heroes , conquering and following your dreams . Thank you for your strength and passion in all you did . Love you less