Gerrit James Gorter

GERRIT JAMES GORTER, born June 27, 1952 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died peacefully at home on November 7, 2019 surrounded by those who adored him. During the last few weeks of his life, he made sure he was always within arm's reach of a pen and sharp pencil, the NY Times crossword puzzle, scratch-off crossword puzzles, his morning devotional, a daily calendar of madcap things people say, and a draft copy of his recently completed second book. Aside from the love of his family, Gerrit's true passion was for writing, and reading the writing of great authors. He loved to share books and eagerly awaited the release of the next Pulitzer Prize winning book in fiction. His office bookshelves were a testament to his love of writing. He met his wife of 36 years, Kim, during night classes at UALR. As he climbed the ramp of Stabler Hall (on crutches), she was struck by his bright smile, laughing eyes and abundant charm. She fell for him immediately and they married a year later. They have two daughters, Anna Gorter (Gavin), of Lakewood, Colorado and Mary Andres (Travis) of Dallas, Texas. This past July, Gerrit had the strength to walk his daughter, Mary, down the aisle and pass her hand and heart to the man of her dreams. A month earlier he had taken a magical trip with his daughter, Anna, as they explored the mountains and cities around Denver. It's almost impossible to capture in words a man like Gerrit (Ger-Bob to his friends). His love of life was limitless. He woke each morning with a ‘do over' which he gave to himself and those around him. As his body was failing him, his mind took on new challenges. He learned to play the ukulele and took drumming lessons. He stressed to those around him to be brave, humble, full of grace, and to try something you thought you could never do. And how can we forget his hilarious wit and humor? We all smiled when he entered a room because we knew he was going to share some clever pun or silly dad joke. Lord; he had a million of ‘em! It's all of these qualities that made Gerrit a unique and a deeply lovable person. We all share a part of him since he shared a part of himself with us. Gerrit is preceded in death by both parents, Faith and Jacobus Gorter. He is survived by other family members, Antje Harris of Little Rock, Jane Manley of Garland, Texas, Ed Woods (Heidi) of Warwick, U.K., Tom Woods (of the world) and many adoring cousins, nieces, and nephews. Please join us November 16 from 2-4 p.m. in a celebration of his life at the Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth Funeral Home, 5800 W 12th St. in Little Rock. If you can't join us, Gerrit asked that you stop somewhere on that day at 4:20 p.m. and listen to Santana's song, Europa! Ger, we will always love you and never forget you. www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.