Dr. Gerrit Wallace Bleeker

Dr. Gerrit (Gary) Wallace Bleeker, of Hamilton, NJ, died peacefully in his sleep on June 7, 2025.
Gary was born on October 17, 1942 in Sioux Center, Iowa to Walter and Gertrude Bleeker. He grew up on his family's dairy farm and was the oldest of five children. He graduated high school at the age of 16 and was valedictorian of his class. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in English from Northwestern College (Orange City, Iowa). He earned his PhD in English in 1969 from the University of Nebraska.
Gary was an amazing husband, father, brother, grandfather, neighbor, and professor. After earning his PhD, Gary embarked on a decades-long academic career in Emporia, Kansas, and was a beloved English professor. Among other things, Gary taught thousands of college students how to be teachers. He eventually served as a university administrator and throughout his forty-plus year career, he earned numerous teaching and academic awards, too numerous to mention here. One of his many passions was gardening. When he wasn't tending to his family or students, Gary was tending to his gardens and plants, including helping anyone else who needed assistance with their plants.
Gary made a significant and long-lasting impact on the lives of so many of his family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and students. Gary had an infectious sense of humor, generous approach to life, strong advocacy for others, and provided unwavering love and support to his family.
He is survived by his loving wife of almost 54 years, Barbara Bleeker, son, Gerrit Warren Bleeker (Teri Richardson) of Altadena, CA; daughter, Martha Bleeker (Kristin Silvani) of Hamilton, NJ and two wonderful grandchildren, Katherine and William Bleeker of Altadena, CA. He is also survived by two sisters, Karen Lumphrey (Denny) and Marcia Donkersloot, and two brothers, Cornelius Bleeker (Ardith) and Jim (Deb) Bleeker, and their children and grandchildren. He is also survived by Barbara's sisters, Marilyn Curry (Kris) and Janet Zwier (Robert), and their children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Bill Donkersloot.
There will be a private memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Gary's memory to an organization that meant so much to him during (and after) his professional career.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE): https://my.ncte.org/donate
Donations to the NCTE General Fund support NCTE's efforts to enrich teacher and student learning, advance research, preserve intellectual freedom, and support educator agency.