Egbert de Vries

Egbert “Bert” de Vries of Boulder, CO, formerly of Batavia, Indonesia, Kettering, OH and Palm Desert, CA passed away Wednesday June 17, 2020 in Boulder. He was 89. Bert was born December 22, 1930 to Egbert and Tine Berg de Vries in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Bert grew up in Indonesia and survived Japanese internment camps in World War II. Bert was an inventor with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland. Bert served in the US Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Hospital Prosthesis Research Lab from 1956 to 1958 (Korean War). Bert became a US citizen in 1963. He worked in quality control in the grocery industry and later started his own consulting company, Quad Corporation, to provide solutions like air pollution control. Bert was an unstoppable inventor who held 15 patents and prided himself on solving problems with simple solutions.

On September 1, 1958 he married Constance (Connie) Lee Cassidy in Ebensburg, PA. They were married for 57 years before she passed away in 2015. Bert enjoyed reading books, playing bridge, painting watercolor landscapes and discussing world affairs. Bert learned to play field hockey in the Netherlands after the war, and he played for many years on adult teams in Ohio. Bert enjoyed witty word exchanges and was always coming up with something clever, profound or entertaining. Bert had a passion for animals – he loved his dogs Tippy, Chasta, Casey and Snoopy. He supported wildlife causes for wolves and elephants. Bert liked to “talk to the animals” especially cats and birds. Bert was a passionate competitor in business, bridge and sports. He enjoyed supporting his children’s and grandchildren’s athletic careers and logged many miles in his car traveling to competitions. Bert enjoyed US and world travel including hiking and biking expeditions in Maine, Canada and New Zealand. Bert was a fighter, a survivor and a very involved father and husband. He was a tremendous supporter of education and provided invaluable guidance to his children, nieces and nephews to help them navigate school, sports and business. For their 50 th wedding anniversary, Bert and Connie shared the following phrase which summarized their life philosophy: Live simply Laugh often Love deeply.

Bert is survived by four children: Mary Blue (Jim), Tina de Vries, Lexie de Vries and James de Vries (Eileen), four grandchildren: Nicole Blue and James Erik Blue (Vanessa), Vincent Seah (Pinpin), Adeline Seah, three great grandchildren, four brothers Jan Roel (Kia), Jack, Bob Zweede (Jeannette), Johan Zweede and one sister Annelies Walton (Alfred). He was an uncle to many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Connie and his sister Joan Covey (Maury). Viewing will be held on Wednesday June 24, 2020 at 10:00 am at Crist Mortuary 3395 Penrose Pl, Boulder, CO 80301. Interment at 11:00 am at Mountain View Memorial Park, Boulder. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Constance Lee de Vries Memorial Scholarship Fund at Fifth Third Bank, 1819 West Lane Ave., Columbus, OH 43221