Obituary of H. Wouter van de Poll

The family of Henk Wouter van de Poll is saddened to share news of his passing on February 1, 2017. He was predeceased by his "liefje" Charlotte (van Kleef) almost one year ago. He is survived by son Robert (Catherine), daughter Marlien (Greg McKay) and grandchildren Katriena (partner Daniel) and Cody. He shared a special bond with his grandchildren and was so very proud of them. He is also survived by his brothers Nanne (Francien); Klaas (Monda); sisters Mat and Connie (Kees) in the Netherlands; many nieces and nephews; special sister and brother-in-law Janneke and Peter van Kleef. He was born in Langsa, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) on December 20, 1932. His family returned to the Netherlands just before the war started and experienced the occupation under Nazi Germany, including the Hunger Winter and the freeing of the country by the Canadians. Wouter graduated with a Bachelor degree in Tropical Agriculture in Deventer in 1956 but decided to pursue his affinity for geology. Four months later, after somehow convincing the head of a company to take a chance on a dutchman with a degree in a completely unrelated field, he was working for Sherritt-Gordon Mines Ltd in Northern Manitoba. He was accepted to 3rd year Geology at UNB in 1959 and following graduation, completed a Masters of Geology in 1963. He and Lot first met through a mutual love of field hockey in Hattem in the early 1950s. But it was not until 1959 when they reconnected in Michigan, that they realized they wanted a future together. They were married a few months later on January 5, 1960. Always together, they shared 56 years of travel and adventure (preferably by sailboat). Shortly after completing a PhD at Swansea University (University of Wales) in 1970, he started his teaching career at UNB, eventually becoming the Department Chairman, before he retired in 1996. During his tenure he was most proud of three things. First, he implemented a requirement for all Science students to complete an introductory Geology course, which he, himself, greatly enjoyed teaching. He believed very strongly that all scientists should have a basic understanding of the earth history, processes and environment. Second, through his research in sedimentary processes, he introduced a new geological concept of rheoplasis. And finally, he and his colleagues developed a new way to produce geological maps with the aid of a computer. After retirement he continued to teach part-time. He also worked with CARIS, a software company, on a volunteer basis, testing their GIS software on a number of geological digital mapping projects. He recently donated a digital map display to the Quartermain Earth Sciences Centre at UNB. Wout had a lifelong love of sailing, that started in Holland and continued in Fredericton with his first boat, a 11 foot Coypu, in the Mactaquac. His last year of sailing with Lot was in 2015, with their 39 foot Yorktown, Tucana II, in the waters around Eastport Maine. He was also an accomplished painter, and in recent years took much pleasure in painting oil portraits. This included a project with his brother Nanne who wrote a book about the van de Poll family in the early 1200s, illustrated with a series of portraits painted by Wout. His last portrait, completed just a month ago, was of Lot, painted with great love as a tribute to her and their life together. He always encouraged everyone to see the humour in their lives, and was widely respected as a true gentleman. He and Lot had a rich and full life together, and his family will miss him very much. At Wout's request there will be no visitation or service. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to the Dr. H. Wouter and Charlotte D.S. van de Poll Prize for academic achievement in the second year field school, that he had recently established through the Department of Earth Sciences at UNB https://donations.helpforcharities.com/unbdonation/?dept_id=vandepoll Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com