I have worked with Jan, for the past several years, on the Friends of the Library board.  He was our hardest worker!  He ran our yearly booksale with a masterful hand, with great attention to detail.  Most of all he was a genuinely fine person and we had many interesting conversations.  He was brillant, but very quiet and unassuming about his many accomplishments in life.  One time we were selling tickets at Market Place, and were discussing books (we are library people through and through!).  Our discussion let to the Stieg Larssen books that were new to the US book market at the time.  He mentioned reading the latest book in the trilogy, and I responded "Wow! how did you get it?  I didn't think it had been released yet!" (in an English translation)   "I read it in Swedish" he said quietly.  

  

Visit of Jan, Constantia and Christian in Huizen.

Instructing Margit how to bike.

Visit in Harfsen at Greet and Ben.

Ready for kajacking.

Jan was celebrating his birthday in Huizen.

This is the knight as we saw him in Friday Harbor! It is very different of the glorious knight we see between the picture here, where Jan and rhe knight stay near each other.

Here are Jan and Gerard walking through the little "desert" around the house.

Jan came to the airport in Vancouver and took us with him to Friday Harbor.

Here is the little treasure Jan found on the beach.

Jan loved eating and Constantia is a good "cooking" woman.

We are friends. Gerri from early age 1955. She lived in the same street in Hengelo (Holland)as Constantia. We know Jan from 1967 when Jan and Constantia studied in Gent-Belgium. We visited Jan and Constantia in the several places where they lived in the USA.

At Anika and Oni's wedding

On San Juan Island, July 3, 2012

We asked Aviv last night to tell us his favorite memory of his Morfor.  He said it was sea kayaking out in the ocean with Morfor and his mother.  How special to have this memory.  In Aviv's short life so far his Morfor was a powerful presence, these stories will continue to shape who he becomes. 

I remember dinners, hikes, kayaking, weddings, births, more dinners, lots of bread and cheese, walking big dogs and little dogs, and the love he had for his family.....and so much more.