It is with great sadness that G4G notes the death of G4G community member Markus Götz (Apr 10, 1974 – Jan 7, 2018) from Munich, Germany. He was a puzzle inventor and designer and manufacturer of multiple types of puzzles.
If you have any references, memories, or tributes that you would like to share, please email us at support@g4gfoundation.org.
I first met Markus Götz at IPP20 in Los Angeles in 2000. He proved to be a wonderful match for the IPP community and made his mark in many ways. He organized the side trip to St. Petersburg for IPP25 and was later the host for IPP31 in Berlin in 2011. Both activities ran beautifully owing to his planning and organizing skills. Markus was a brilliant solver and creator of both mechanical puzzles and mathematical problems. To top it off, he had a lively and engaging sense of humor. These attributes made me enjoy his company immensely, and we spent many happy hours together at the IPPs and Gatherings for Gardner. I will share a couple of episodes I remember with fondness. At one of the IPPs, his puzzle was based on a theme from the motion picture, A Nightmare on Elm Street. The morning of the exchange, I saw him hurrying across the hotel lobby in what appeared to be a state of agitation. His face was bleeding, and I went to him immediately with concern to offer assistance. He said he had a mishap in the room but would be OK. Only later during the exchange did I find out it was all makeup. I was completely taken in, and Markus and I had a good laugh together over the incident. He and I had many meals together with other puzzlers and for some reason he found one of my corny remarks particularly amusing. He would frequently prompt me to announce “The service here is terribly slow but the food is so bad you don’t mind waiting for it.” Then we would have a laugh together. Markus’s life tragically and unexpectedly ended in early 2018. It was heartbreaking for me and his family of IPP friends. He is sorely missed.
– Dick Hess for the puzzle souvenir book of IPP
Markus Götz was one of the first people I met at a Gathering 4 Gardner. It was his second time attending, I believe, and he was showing some of his latest puzzles to a small group of people just beyond the hotel doors. I was invited to join, but was not experienced enough in the puzzle world to fully appreciate his design or find a solution in due time. He patiently waited, even after the others had left, and gave me a brief introduction, that lasted a good hour or so into various types of puzzles. I was lucky to have experienced r his enthusiasm for subject which he passed on to me.
– Tiago Hirth
If you knew Marcus Götz, you’ll undoubtedly appreciate these pictures of him solving my Cuburr puzzle at IPP in Japan, with Yael Meron lending him a few extra hands!
Marcus was so photogenic, he really knew how to smile for the camera! At the MAD Museum (Mechanical Art Design), Marcus made a show of pretending to catch one of the kinetic sculptures in his mouth! Unfortunately my phone camera couldn’t cope with the low light, but he sure made us laugh.
I especially admired him for always smiling for a picture — often with a goofy expression. As an enthusiastic photographer himself, Marcus generously posed for any photo or snapshot. He always, always, always indulged any photographer’s whims. He still makes me smile.
Whenever someone tries to take my picture, I try to smile for the camera because that’s what Marcus would have done. It’s what he always did.
– Scott Elliott