Cornelius John “Connie” TerMaat, age 80, of River Falls died Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Connie was born in Arpin, WI to Henry and Bertha TerMaat but grew up in Sheboygan, WI with sisters, Hattie, Margaret and Marion. There he developed an abiding love of Lake Michigan lighthouses and tugboats and an interest in the history of the Dutch American community in Wisconsin. Connie taught English at University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1965 to 1989 including a stint as department chair. A voracious reader, he especially loved Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, John Updike, Peter DeVries, Patrick O’Brian, detective fiction and Winnie-the-Pooh. Friends and family looked forward each year to his witty Christmas letters. An avid vegetable gardener (at one time maintaining seven compost piles), he enjoyed puttering around with tools and scrapwood and converting his crops into wine. He was unfailingly loyal to the daily crossword, cookies, ice cream and the Chicago Cubs. He spent as much time as possible at the family cabin on Deer Lake in Burnett County fishing for crappies and watching for herons and loons. As a young man he won prizes for his poetry and continued to write both comic verse and meditations on nature. From his 1950 poem, “Prayer”: “We who must so soon depart the lake,/We ask for lights to lead us home./To guide us to that port where seagulls cry/And circling, sing not loneliness, but love.” Connie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Grace TerMaat of River Falls, children Chris (Nancy) of Naperville, IL, Martha of River Falls and Peter (Joan) of North Oaks, MN, and sister Margaret Eggebeen of Sheboygan. The accompanying photo was a favorite of his grandchildren Sara, John, Eric, Jason, Morgan, Mary and Max. Reading was Connie’s passion. Contributions in his honor may be made to the River Falls Public Library. Send your thoughts to memories@uptocode.com or post them to http://termaats.blogspot.com
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Connie TerMaat 1929-2009
Cornelius John “Connie” TerMaat, age 80, of River Falls died Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Connie was born in Arpin, WI to Henry and Bertha TerMaat but grew up in Sheboygan, WI with sisters, Hattie, Margaret and Marion. There he developed an abiding love of Lake Michigan lighthouses and tugboats and an interest in the history of the Dutch American community in Wisconsin. Connie taught English at University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1965 to 1989 including a stint as department chair. A voracious reader, he especially loved Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, John Updike, Peter DeVries, Patrick O’Brian, detective fiction and Winnie-the-Pooh. Friends and family looked forward each year to his witty Christmas letters. An avid vegetable gardener (at one time maintaining seven compost piles), he enjoyed puttering around with tools and scrapwood and converting his crops into wine. He was unfailingly loyal to the daily crossword, cookies, ice cream and the Chicago Cubs. He spent as much time as possible at the family cabin on Deer Lake in Burnett County fishing for crappies and watching for herons and loons. As a young man he won prizes for his poetry and continued to write both comic verse and meditations on nature. From his 1950 poem, “Prayer”: “We who must so soon depart the lake,/We ask for lights to lead us home./To guide us to that port where seagulls cry/And circling, sing not loneliness, but love.” Connie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Grace TerMaat of River Falls, children Chris (Nancy) of Naperville, IL, Martha of River Falls and Peter (Joan) of North Oaks, MN, and sister Margaret Eggebeen of Sheboygan. The accompanying photo was a favorite of his grandchildren Sara, John, Eric, Jason, Morgan, Mary and Max. Reading was Connie’s passion. Contributions in his honor may be made to the River Falls Public Library. Send your thoughts to memories@uptocode.com or post them to http://termaats.blogspot.com
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2 comments:
I was very sorry to hear of Connie's death; he was a very learned and interesting and droll man and a good friend. His garden provided not only fruits and vegetables, but also the basic ingredients for the wines he made for many years. The Christmas parties which he and Grace hosted were always great delights for the many faculty who attended for many years. May he rest in peace.
In addition to echoing John's thoughts, I'd like to mention that Connie was indirectly responsible for our daughter attending Calvin College, where she received an outstanding education. Connie always spoke very highly about what Calvin had to offer even though he had serious issues with some CRC teachings. We worked together through some tough times in the English department. One anecdote that has stuck in my mind is one day at lunch when John Buschen asserted that, by definition, no Christian college should have a philosophy department. And off we went. Connie was one of a number of mentors who helped me immensely. He had my highest respect. Rick McNamara
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