23,  24.   CLASSMATES ON THIS PAGE ARE:  Ray Curry and Dick Degenaars

23.   CURRY, Ray

        -- Photos: 
             --  Personal profile / life story: 

24.   DEGENAARS, Dick  --  Dick died in July 2021, while living in Colorado with his wife, Jan, and brother-in-law. 

PHOTOS:

At left:  Dick and his wife Jan (Damsma) in Firestone, Colorado, in April 2021.   At right, Dick with his favorite little pal, a Schihtzu, named "Taz"
                      


And the magnificent, confirming ray of sunlight in the "Jan & Dick Sunset" photo in Colorado, taken only a few minutes after Dick passed away.  This photo was the only one of five photos taken quickly in sequence which showed the vertical sunbeam, and it seems to be clearly saying "All is Well".......
                      


PERSONAL PROFILE STORY:
During our early growing up days in Midland Park, Dick Degenaars, and the twins Dave and Dan Kay, had been close friends.  They lived only a few houses apart on Godwin Avenue, and it was quite often that Dick would show up in the Kay's back yard, baseball glove in hand, and --  standing near the back porch door -- he'd call out loudly (but a bit musically and slowly):  "Danny and Daaa-vit !!"  It was time for fun, and all three would run up to the Highland Ave school and play ball.  What wonderful memories.

You may recall that -- for our Yearbook -- Dick was voted "Best Dancer" in our Class of 1961, along with Peggy Heulster.  There's good reason for this:  it turns out that Dick's mother taught ballroom dancing while she was still in Holland....!!  And -- as Nancy Spoerer Degenaars recalls -- whenever she and Hank attended a wedding reception, and the music started, Dick's parents were the first ones out on the dance floor.  Everyone let them have the "spotlight" and they put on quite a show with much applause when the music stopped.  So the Degenaars boys had quite an example to follow as they grew up.

After we all graduated from high school, many of us remember Dick operating the Sunoco service station near the bottom of Godwin Avenue in Midland Park, across the street from the bank building, and next door to his old growing-up home.  Dick had married Carol DeGraff in August 1965 while he was employed with Isaac Degenaars Inc., a Midland Park construction firm.  They were married for 19 years before they chose to go their separate ways in life.  They had two sons, Dean and Joel.  Dean had one daughter, Kayla, and Joel has a daughter (Arianna) and a son (Derek).  Joel is married to Paula and they are enjoying life in New Hampshire.  Sadly, Dean died suddenly in May of 2020 from circumstances created by Covid -- although he did not die from Covid itself.

The first time Jan Damsma met Dick she says she knew she was in trouble because there was just something so very special and unique about him.  Jan was young and she and Dick became good friends right from the beginning.  He was responsible for getting Jan her first job after graduating high school, with an attorney, whose office was right up the street from Dick's Sunoco Service station.

Jan and Dick were amazingly happy together;  Dick says he never knew what true love was until he met Jan.  And recently, part of their togetherness joy had been their wonderful little Schihtzu named Taz.  But Jan says Taz was really Dick's dog, and that Dick and Taz were practically inseparable.

Dick & Jan had been friends and together for the past 44 years. This year -- September 1, 2021 -- would have been thier 37-year wedding anniversary.  During his last good days in Colorado, Jan says: "Dick was happy and content and still able to be Dick!!! Oh how I treasure all of our memories.....our entire life together.  Wish that we could have had just one last dance........ What an incredible life he gave me...never ever boring !!! "

_______

Dick:  may you rest in peace, dear friend.......