David STEEDMAN

1939 - 2023

DAVID STEEDMAN David Wilson Steedman, born on June 24, 1939, in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, passed away peacefully in Amstelveen in the Netherlands, on August 18, 2023, at the age of 84. David is survived by his beloved wife, Jups Kluyskens; his two sons, Eric and Matthew (from his previous marriage to Susan Steedman); and his granddaughter, Robin. David spent most of his childhood in Marathon, Ontario, and then moved with his parents and two older brothers, Stuart and Alan, to Toronto. From 1952 to 1962, he attended Upper Canada College and then Trinity College of the University of Toronto, graduating with a BA (First Class Honours) in Latin and French. He earned a PhD in French Literature from Yale University, graduating in 1966, and spent time during 1964 and 1965 in Paris. Between 1966 and 1969, he taught at Queen's University and the University of Chicago. From 1969 to 1978, David held various academic and administrative positions at McGill University and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities. From 1978 to 1985, he was Director of Social Sciences at the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa. He was a Visiting Fellow of the Bureau of Science and Technology for International Development in Washington DC. From 1986 to 1989, he worked for ARA Consultants, Ottawa, mainly for the World Bank, which he joined full-time in 1989. In 1999, he retired from the World Bank as lead public sector management specialist, having worked primarily in Africa and Asia, and moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After retirement, he continued to work worldwide as a consultant until the age of 70. In 2010, David published his memoir, 'The Past is Present.' A set of short stories followed in 2012. Together with his wife Jups he loved to travel, often visiting his family in Canada and exploring his favourite countries in Europe and Asia. David was a true polyglot, and in addition to French, Italian and Spanish, he also became fluent in Dutch. An accomplished pianist, David also enjoyed playing golf. He had a profound interest in other cultures, loved literature, art and music, and felt at home around the world. David was a loving father and husband, and he will be dearly missed.