Veteran engineer and longtime technical advisor to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Walter Willis died yesterday at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital, which has since launched an investigation to verify if all clinical guidelines were followed in his treatment.
Willis, 66, was pronounced dead yesterday morning at the facility but it was later learned that he was alive and he was placed on life support.
In a brief statement, the hospital, where he had been admitted since Saturday “for multi-organ dysfunction,” confirmed his death on Monday evening. “The hospital has embarked on an investigation to ensure that all clinical guidelines were adhered to in keeping with Standard Operating Procedure and would like to extend deepest condolences to the family of Mr Willis,” it added.
His wife, Dolly, also confirmed his death to Stabroek News last night as he was being taken into the mortuary. “No more cowboy hats, no more cowboy boots, my country gone,” the shaken woman said.
Upon being prematurely notified of his death yesterday, many of Willis’ colleagues, including Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, had expressed shock since he had accompanied the minister, ministry staff and a media contingent on a tour of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion project site at Timehri last Friday.
Patterson described Willis’ passing as a great loss to the ministry.
In a statement, the ministry said that Willis, who was born on July 23, 1949, was in its employ for the past 17 years.
“Upon his commencement of service on May 3, 1999, Mr Willis served as the Technical Advisor for Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Anthony Xavier, under the Ministry of Public Works and Communication,” the statement said.
He also served as Technical Advisor to successor ministers Harry Narine Nawbatt and Robeson Benn before working alongside Minister Patterson from May, 2015.
The ministry said that outside of his position as Technical Advisor, Willis held several other portfolios, including that of the Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority; Project Manager of the Solid Waste Management Programme; and Project Engineer for the Caribbean Development Bank Third Road Project (Ruimveldt to Providence).
He was also involved in a number of key developmental projects, including the construction of the Providence Stadium, where he served as the Project Manager.
The ministry added that Willis would be remembered by all as a dedicated worker who went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the proper execution of all projects under his remit.
“He was always willing to offer advice and worked meticulously. He was also fondly known to all as a stickler for protocol and could be seen traversing even the hallways of the Ministry with a safety vest on,” it said.
In the statement, the ministry said that Willis will be sorely missed and that Minister Patterson and Junior Minister Annette Ferguson along with the staff of the ministry extended their heartfelt condolences to his family.
‘Ready, available and willing’
Meanwhile, Benn, who worked closely with Willis during his tenure as minister, described him as a “very special engineer.”
According to the former minister, the knowledge and practical experience Willis had often times helped them to solve many problems with respect to engineering endeavours and not only at that ministry. “He was always ready, available and willing at any time,” Benn said.
He hoped young engineers would follow Willis’ professional path.
Civil Engineer Romeo Ramiscindo, who worked with Willis on a number of projects including the controversial Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, told this newspaper that he first met Willis in the 70s and they struck up a friendship. He described him as a “good” engineer and said that his death came as shock since it was only last Friday he saw him as Willis was making his way from the airport.
Engineer Kiran Nauth, of H Nauth and Sons Contracting Services, told this newspaper that Willis was a very stringent engineer. “You couldn’t pull anything over his eyes,” he said.
“He was fair in his assessment because engineering mostly is not done in the office and is done on the ground. He was very practical and hands on,” Nauth added.
Willis, he stated, had an unorthodox style when dealing with engineers, but this was always for the betterment of the project.
According to the engineer, who knew Willis for the past two decades and worked with him on different projects, his passing will affect the engineering and contracting fraternity tremendously.
He added that he hopes that other engineers would have learned something from him, given his wealth of experience.
He described him as a “good” engineer and one who was always ready to give advice on projects and even those which did not fall under his portfolio. “He was never a selfish person, he was always helping to nurture other engineers,” Nauth added.
At yesterday’s statutory meeting of the Georgetown city council, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and councillors expressed heartfelt condolences to Willis’ family on his passing.
Willis is survived by his wife of over forty years, his three children, Sandra, Sonia and Christopher, as well as three grandchildren.
