Martinus Arnoud Bakker

Martinus Arnoud Bakker peacefully passed at his home at the age of 87. He was married to his loving wife Louise Jansen van Vuuren Bakker for 57 years. He was a loving father to Marlise (James) VanZytveld, Heloise (Kevin) Kihnke, and Annelise (Daniel) Erdman. He was the proud grandfather of Jonathan, Cecilia, Aleksander, Christian, Victoria, Austin, Spencer and Makayla. Martin is survived by his dear sister Anna van der Vlies Bakker who lives in the Netherlands. He will be remembered by his family and friends as a deep thinker, adventurous soul, and a life-long teacher and learner.

Martin was a distinguished professor of the Dutch language and a linguist with a Doctorate Degree. He taught himself to read and speak German at an advanced age and practiced by reading Nietzsche in German. He taught himself to read music and practiced by playing Dutch Hymns on his old-fashioned pump organ. Additional academic accomplishments include his numerous translations of books, his contributions to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and his articles that were published in the Dutch Immigrant Society Magazine for the last 30 years.

He was a world traveler and lived on three continents. He was born in the Netherlands and was a young boy during the Second World War. He moved to South Africa after the war as a young teenager. He lived in South Africa for nearly 30 years during which time he married his beautiful South African Wife, Louise, and together had 3 daughters. In South Africa, he worked in a Language Lab, translating Dutch to Afrikaans, in addition to teaching Afrikaans at the University level. He moved to the Netherlands in his early forties with his family, where he taught High School English. In his late forties he moved to the United States with his family, where he taught Dutch at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI.

Martin was an athlete who loved to play tennis, go for 50 plus mile bike rides, swim across freezing lakes, sail in rough seas, and kayak in uncharted waters. He lived a full life during which he never stopped challenging himself. Those who knew him best loved him dearly for his sense of humor, his endless wordplay, and his kindness. Martin will be greatly missed and carried in our hearts.

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