Gerrit J. Brouwer, 78, of Swan Court, Lincoln, died Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at his home surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Leslie (Pease) Brouwer. They were married for almost 10 years.
Born in the Netherlands, he was a son of the late Jan and Hillegonda (Dick) Brouwer. He had lived in Attleboro before moving to North Providence, where he lived for the past 16 years.
Prior to retirement, Mr. Brouwer was a stone setter for The Balfour Company and also worked for The Robbins Manufacturing Company. He was a life member of Elks of Lodge 1014 in Attleboro, MA for 41 years. He dedicated many Wednesday nights to volunteer at their pasta dinners and summer barbeques. He was also a member of the Foreman’s Club.
He is also survived by his children: John Brouwer of Norton MA, Andrew Brouwer of Dania Beach, FL and Peter Brouwer of Attleboro, MA; his stepchildren, Christopher Franklin of Warwick and Kimberly D’Arpino of South Kingstown; grandchildren; Damon Walker, Nicole, Gerrit, Thomas, Audrey, Andrew, Matthew and Iain Brouwer, Ashley, Zachery and Michael D’Arpino, Christopher Franklin, Jr. and Kelsey Shepard; his siblings Ida, Jan, Hillegonda and Aleida. He was brother to the late Willem and Cornelia.
Gerrit enjoyed traveling with his wife. One of his favorite destinations was his yearly trip to Holland to visit family. Gerrit loved music and dancing and will be very missed by his dancing partner. He especially enjoyed spending time with his family playing games, having new adventures and cooking them his famous chowder.
A Memorial Service to which relatives and friends are invited will be held Saturday at 10AM in Park Place Congregational Church, 71 Park Place, Pawtucket, RI. Burial private. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to RI Community Food Bank, 200 Niantic Avenue, Providence, RI 02907.
RI Community Food Bank