On September 4th, 2018 our beloved Husband, Dad and Opapa, Gerard Fritz Schreuder, passed away in his sleep at his Mercer Island home. He was born in Medan, Indonesia on April 4, 1937 to Everet Jan Schreuder and Wilma Margaretha Ottillie Staecker.
Gerard was very fortunate to have a long, adventurous, and incredible life journey as a true citizen of the world. During World War II, he spent four years, as a child, in a Japanese concentration camp. Returning to his home country of the Netherlands in 1952, he quickly defined himself as an intellectual and academic. Gerard received multiple post graduate university degrees beginning with studies at Wageningen University, NL. He worked for the Dutch government as a technical expert in Costa Rica and lived there with his wife, Ally, from 1961-1965. They emigrated to the USA in 1965, where Gerard pursued his graduate studies at North Carolina State University and Yale University. He received his PhD from Yale in 1968 and served as a professor there. In 1971, Gerard with young family in tow, moved from New Haven, Connecticut to Mercer Island, Washington where Gerard embarked on a 40 year career at the University of Washington (UW) as a Professor of Economics, Statistics, and Remote Sensing in the College of Forest Resources.
Throughout his career, Gerard traveled extensively around the world, often with his family, spending time in many developing countries. He was a sought-after technical consultant for the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United States Agency of International Development (US AID), as well as the World Bank due to his expertise in forestry, economics, statistics, and remote sensing combined with his fluency in numerous languages including Dutch, German, English, Spanish, French, and Malayan. Gerard had an astute analytical mind and impressive mathematical prowess. He was a humorous lecturer, well-liked professor, and gifted teacher of statistics, econometrics, operations research, and remote sensing/aerial photography/photogrammetry at the UW. He often joked about parsimony and keeping it simple, especially in statistical modeling. This simplicity principal applied even to gravestone markers with one of his favorites being “Hier ligt Poot. Hij is dood”. Many a family dinner, growing up and throughout adulthood, found guests entertained by Gerard’s wonderful stories/life experiences and lively joke telling (the origin of “woperneuter” was one of his classics)
In retirement, he enjoyed spending time at the home he built on Whidbey Island; reading scientific journals, Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist; complaining about politics; and watching his family grow to include three grandchildren. Fond memories of “silly” Opapa abound. One highlight for all three grandkids is Opapa serving up his special recipe “cheesy” popcorn for breakfast and Winnie the Pooh and Smurf video viewings.
In later years, he began slipping away from us, as dementia robbed him of what he valued most: his intellect; steel trap memory; and command of numbers, facts, and data. In the last two years we were fortunate to gradually say goodbye by spending many a joyful “Opapa Sunday” checking off some bucket list items, such as indoor skydiving, hot air ballooning, seaplane tour of Seattle, disc golf, aquarium, zoo, museum visits and simply hanging out enjoying whatever his children had planned for their weekend. Gerard was also an avid, lifelong collector of minerals, stones, crystals and rocks. A couple of years ago, as Gerard and Ally downsized into a smaller house, it gave him immense pleasure to pass along many of his favorites from his extensive collection to his three grandchildren, Jack, Caden, and Torben. Also, in retirement, he became somewhat of a “Rock Talk” expert and enjoyed showing and educating about his collection at his local Senior Social Group together with his grandson, Torben.
Gerard is greatly missed by his entire family. He leaves behind his wife, Ally van Buuren Schreuder with whom he celebrated 57 years of marriage just a few weeks before his death. His daughter, Astrid Brigitte Schreuder, and grandson, Torben Gerard Schreuder. His son, John, grandson, Jack; granddaughter, Caden, and daughter-in-law, Jeanne. Gerard is also survived by his brother, Hans Tijmen Schreuder, and sister, Wilma Ellen Aleida Reese.
In accordance with Gerard’s wishes, there will be no services/memorial. Please rejoice, as we are, in your happy memories of him and your own loved ones!
“Death leaves a heart ache that no one can heal, Love leaves memories that no one can steal” Anonymous