Earl Albert Veenendaal

Earl Albert Veenendaal was born March 13, 1917 in Milwaukee, WI. His parents were Carrie Grace (Kroes) and William Henry Veenendaal. One of four children, he lost a brother to the flu pandemic in 1916, and his other two siblings, Annis and Wilfred, preceded him in death in the 1990's.

Earl graduated from North Division High School in Milwaukee in 1935.

According to Gertrude (Earl never talked about his accomplishments.) he was valedictorian and president for the class of 1939 at Milwaukee State Teachers' College (now UW-Milwaukee). There he majored in mathematics and minored in English and Education.

A Master's Degree in mathematics was awarded from UW-Madison in 1954 after four years of summer school classes.

He was active in the Army-Air Corps (which became the Air Force during WWII) from 1941 through 1945: During that time he served as an artillery instructor at Fort Bragg, a student and instructor of meteorology at New York University, and then spent 16 months in the Azores near the end of WWII as a meteorologist. At the end of the war he was a Captain. He remained on inactive reserve status until his retirement from the Air Force as a Major in 1977.

Earl and Gertrude were married December 25, 1941. Together they had three children, David (1943), Marcia (1947), and William (1948). Living in Burlington, WI after the war, both Gertrude and Earl served their faith at Cross Lutheran Church. They volunteered for committees, taught Sunday School, and led Bible studies. In 1956, when they moved to Harper Woods, MI, they continued their service at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Grosse Pointe, MI.

Earl taught mathematics and some physics for 17 years at Burlington High School (WI). There he served as advisor to the school newspaper and the school weather club among other ""voluntary"" duties given to teachers in those days. Ironically he was an assistant football coach for two years though he never had played football himself. In 1955 Earl served as Chairman of the State Mathematics Curriculum Committee.

In 1956 he started a 22-year career teaching mathematics at Grosse Pointe High School (MI). There, in 1958, he helped start the Advanced Placement math program, and served as chairman of the department for many years. He retired in 1978. Gertrude, who had retired the year before, and he moved to Sun Prairie, WI in 1980.

Earl is survived by his wife of 64 years, Gertrude: his three children's families: David and Nancy of Sun Prairie, WI, Marcia of Marlton, NJ, and William and Laurie of Blanchardville, WI; his nine grandchildren - Adam, Eric, Carrie, Ben, Jean, Julie, Ben, Lucas, and Julie; and his six great grandchildren - Marisa, Maddy, Collin, Clayton, Gavin, and Sara.

He was a kind, patient, and generous man with a smile for everyone. He taught us by his example. We will miss him.