August 8, 1937 – February 10, 2023
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Pieter Groenevelt, our beloved father, grandfather, brother and uncle, in his 86th year. He was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.
Pieter was born on the island of Java in Dutch Indonesia. As a young man in Holland, Piet’s father accepted a job as an agricultural consultant in Indonesia, and, even though they were not yet married, Piet’s mother was allowed to accompany Piet’s father there, since they had a great love. Piet’s parents married eight months after arriving in Indonesia and started a family. Piet had a very happy childhood on Java until December 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Civilian men were mobilized for the Dutch army, but soon sent to Japanese labour camps.
Women and children were interned in ever worsening Japanese concentration camps throughout Java. These years of starvation, disease and cruelty shaped and influenced Pieter for the rest of his life. He, his sisters and his mother were ever hopeful to be reunited with their father and husband after the war, but in 1946, after the war ended, they finally learned that he had died in Japan in 1944. With his mother and three sisters, Piet then went by boat to Holland where they lived with Piet’s grandparents. His mother remarried and the family grew with the addition of a new sister.
Once in Holland, Pieter had to work hard to catch up to the other children in school. He loved science and mathematics, graduated at the top of his class in high school and obtained a PhD in soil physics from the University of Wageningen in 1969. With his wife Anke and two young daughters Hester and Marjolein, he moved to Australia for post-doctoral work at CSIRO. In May 1973, the family arrived in Guelph where Piet had accepted a job at the University of Guelph. He worked there until his obligatory retirement in 2002, and then continued to work there as professor emeritus until his death. He loved working at the university, had many academic friends in Guelph and around the world, and was a supportive and encouraging advisor to many students and young colleagues.
Dad had an abiding curiosity about the world which led to many diverse interests. He loved travelling (anywhere in the world), gardening (especially flowers and vegetables), listening to classical music, soccer, stamp-collecting, cross-country skiing, playing the piano, walking, cottage life, and a good glass of wine. He enjoyed a regular beer and darts with friends. He was an empathetic listener and many people found a great friend in him. He wanted to make the world a better place and felt deeply for people living in poverty and other hardships, having experienced these himself. Above all, he loved his family. He put us, his children, first and could always be counted on to be there when we needed him. He supported and encouraged us, took pride in our achievements and picked us up off the ground when we failed. We cannot imagine not being able to talk to him anymore.
Dad is survived and deeply missed by his daughter Hester and daughter-in-law Sandy, daughter Marjolein and son-in-law Don, and grandchildren Willem and Alise, as well as his surviving sisters Wies and Pim and his nieces Dagmar and Ynske, nephews Fabian and Eppo and their families.
Dad loved a good party and, in recognition of that, the family will host a celebration of his life on Saturday, February 18, 2023 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Fat Duck in Guelph (210 Kortright Rd W, Guelph, Ontario). We will honour Dad beginning at 3:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the World Central Kitchen – a world-wide, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters (wck.org).
Arrangements entrusted to Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home