In Memoriam

William Gerard van Amerogen
August 26, 1946 - March 26, 2021

William Gerard van Amerongen died unexpectedly March 26, 2021, in Tucson, Ariz., due to complications following back surgery. Known to friends and coworkers as “Van,” he was a solid, compassionate rock of a man who loved his family and loved his work in the defense industry. He was never afraid to share his conservative viewpoint and often described his political leanings as “slightly to the right of Atilla the Hun.” Yet, he did so with a characteristic chuckle, letting you know he was always open to opposing viewpoints, even though he knew they were wrong.

He was born in Seattle, Wash., on Aug. 26, 1946, to William J. A. and Louise van Amerongen. His father worked as a contract administrator for Boeing and impressed upon him the importance of hard work before he succumbed to diabetes and cancer when Van was just 16 years old. It was his father who steered him toward a military education and set him on his path to the Air Force Academy.

Tall, strong, and focused, Van excelled in sports at Lakeside School, where he was a star fullback on the varsity football team, a solid varsity basketball player and set the school record in shotput. He carried his love of sport throughout his post-graduate life and was eager to referee soccer matches and volunteer as an usher at major athletic events.

Following his graduation in June of 1968 and his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, he was stationed in Seattle as a military contract administrator at Boeing. It was there in Seattle that he proposed to Nancy Moore, and they were married in 1971 at St. Thomas Church in Medina, Wash. Their love rewarded them with four children, Krista, Erik, Jan, and Toby, all of whom graduated from college and continue to pursue successful careers, respectively, as attorney, pharmacist, clergyman and collegiate athletic trainer.

His career as an Air Force liaison to industry took him and his family to various domestic locations, including Denver, Colo., Huntsville, Ala., Biloxi, Miss. and Dayton Ohio.

After his promotion to the rank of captain, he maintained his service to the country in the Air National Guard as he continued his work directly for Boeing as a contract administrator and regulatory compliance officer for domestic and foreign military sales. In similar capacity, he advanced his career with other private companies including Infineon, Export Control Community and International Rectifier, which dealt in semi-conductors. His international work took him to Holland, Denmark and Germany.
At age 70, he retired with Nancy to Hermosa Beach, Calif., and more recently Tucson, Ariz. He and Nancy held a long-time affection for the Pacific Northwest where they grew up and enjoyed the solitude of escaping to a small waterfront cabin on Whidbey Island.                                                                                     (Submitted by his brother, John van Amerongen)


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