Wim was born 12 January 1949 in Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands, the eldest of the five children of Antonius (Anton) van Leeuwen and Maria (Miep) van Vugt. Anton was a family doctor while Miep assisted in running his medical office on the ground floor of their home in Rotterdam. In those days doctors were always on call, sometimes visiting patients in their homes in the middle of the night. Ironically, Wim spent the final weeks of his life waiting for a doctor’s appointment that came too late.
In his youth Wim served as an altar boy at the Catholic church attended by his family, and he played on his school’s field hockey team (yes, boys and men play field hockey). He was also an avid fan of his hometown soccer club, Feyenoord. He most enjoyed the month of August when his family vacationed at Katwijk on the shore of the North Sea. Whether rain or shine Wim could be found on the beach with his shovel constructing dikes and canals to fight the rising tide threatening his sandcastles.
While attending college in Amsterdam Wim fell in love with Margaret Stanchfield and followed her home to Michigan where they married in 1972. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree at Eastern Michigan University, then earned a Master of Science degree in Geology at Michigan State University. After trying life in Huntington Beach, CA, then Houston, TX, he returned to Michigan and taught computer science for a time at West Shore Community College in Scottville. In 1982 Wim began what turned out to be 28 years of employment with the State of Michigan. As a field geologist for the Geological Survey Division of the Department of Natural Resources he conducted oversight of oil and gas well drilling and production activities. As a senior geologist for the Remediation and Redevelopment Division of the Department of Environmental Quality he conducted oversight of hydrogeological investigation and cleanup of sites of environmental contamination.
In 1993 Wim married fellow geologist Cheryl Stanfield. After retiring together in 2010 they enjoyed winters on the Gulf Coast socializing with snowbirds from other states as well as summers at their home on Jordan Lake in Lake Odessa. Soccer always remained Wim’s favorite sport, but over the 50+ years lived in his adopted country he learned to love college football and basketball, particularly the MSU Spartans. He also became a fan of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Lions (will they ever get to a Super Bowl?). After retiring he became a fan of the Detroit Tigers upon discovering the slow pace of baseball could be enjoyed while sipping a PBR draft with his friends at Buddy’s on the Beach.
Wim was a good, honest, intelligent, and caring man with a great sense of humor. His biggest regret may have been not getting a chance to fight his disease as he had fought the rising tide of the North Sea. His passing has left a huge hole in the lives of his family and friends that will be difficult if not impossible to fill. He is survived by his wife Cheryl Stanfield, daughter Michella Bell, son Christopher van Leeuwen, stepdaughter Nicole (Richard) Walsh; step-grandchildren Amyra Morgan, Mariah Fillion, Audrey Walsh, Jack Walsh; siblings Tonny (Gijs) Kempen, Wybrand van Leeuwen, John (Jolien) van Leeuwen, Yolanda (Ronald) van Dijk; brother-in-law Lynn Stanfield; niece Suzanne and nephews Peter, Hans, Mark, Stefan, Lucas, and their children; special cousin Trix de Smit; special friend JR Colon. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of Wim’s life will be scheduled for August 2, 2022 starting 2:30pm at Buddy's on the Beach in Lake Odessa. Memorial contributions may be made to the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University: https://ees.natsci.msu.edu/about/giving/, the Union of Concerned Scientists: https://www.ucsusa.org/about/ways-give, or Lifewater International: https://lifewater.org/
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