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)