Bill Somerville, G4WJS SK
I am very sorry to convey the sad news that Bill Somerville, G4WJS, died suddenly and unexpectedly a few days ago. He was only about 65 years old.
Bill was a dear friend and very close colleague, though (as is often the case with worldwide ham radio friendships) we had met in person only a few times. In 2013 he was the first to join me in forming a core development group for WSJT-X, which at that time was at program version 0.99. Bill has been closely involved with WSJT-X and related software projects ever since.
Our free, open-source software could not have achieved its extensive worldwide popularity and influence in ham radio without Bill's essential contributions. In addition to writing code for important portions of the Qt-based user interface for WSJT-X, Bill helped to bring the overall program structure more nearly up to professional standards. Moreover, he devoted countless hours to program support, patiently answering user's questions on WSJT-related forums.
I have only started to think about the many ways in which I will miss Bill -- not no mention how we all will miss his immense and positive impact on WSJT-X and related projects. For more than eight years Bill and I communicated closely and regularly on ham radio topics, sometimes many times per day. Perhaps I will be able to write more about it in the near future.
Rest in peace, dear friend G4WJS.
-- Joe, K1JT —