Dirk Nico Michael Looijenga

Mijn naam is niet Maria Knoesterige- Groeneveld, maar : Mary Knoester-Groeneveld

Dick is was a very nice person. I have very good memories of him. Ik was very young when i met him. I lived in a fosterparent house and he came for Vera my foster sister.
He was always very nice to me and played and took care of me.
Mary Knoester-Groeneveld

Roger and I met Dirk when we first started our company in Portland back in 1980. Up until the very end, he was our structural engineer of choice because he understood what needed to be done, how to accomplish the task at hand and how to contain the budget, a combination that is a rare gift in the construction industry.

Recently I was talking with a friend and we were discussing favorite people in the construction industry, I mentioned Dirk's name and my friend was stunned to realize...

Hello,

Jill Looijenga here, Dirk's daughter.

We will be holding Dirk's Celebration on Sunday May the 6th from Noon to 3pm. It will be at Aquariva, 4650 SW Macadam Avenue, Portland.
Please join us and share a favorite story or joke from Dirk's many that he shared with all of us.
Email to RSVP: [email protected]
Thank you.
Jill

Kim,

A few days ago in the midst of a completely mundane task a story your dad told me about books and being in a prison camp popped into my head...

Curious, I went on-line.

I am so sorry for your loss. Your dad and you have always held a special place in heart even after all these years.

My thoughts are with you and your family.


Blair

After trying to reach Dirk for a week I was getting very nervous as it just wasn't like him not to answer the phone. After trying for two weeks I new something was up so I googled and found this page. Dirk was by far the warmest, funniest dearest guy that I have ever worked with, period. Few people were even near to being as warm and welcoming to me as he was when I moved here 10 years ago. My wife and I always looked forward to visiting with him. It goes without saying that he always had...

One of my fondest memories of Dirk was this fall sitting out by his fish pond listening to him tell me all about the fish and how he made the pond and remodeled the house. And of course all of our talks about life.

I enjoyed all the funny stories you told me about my folks too. I miss you Dirk. :-( ...and SOME of your dirty jokes. ;-) I am so sad you are gone :-(... but happy for you your back isn't hurting. Peace, Paige

Thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful words. We appreciate them so much. We will be sure to post a date for the celebration of Dirk's life. Please be ready to share stories and, of course, a favorite Dirk joke.

Dirk stood out as a no nonsense, principled professional, comfortable using his intuition but prudent when more detailed analysis was needed. He was always the humorist, arriving with a joke or two, giving straightforward advice on a project and likely parting with another quip or two. He occupys a special place in my memory.