Adriaan Janssens

Adriaan “Arie” (born Adrianus) Janssens, resident of Kendal at Granville, Ohio, died peacefully in Newark, Ohio, on May 20, 2018. Arie was born August 19, 1933, in Ginneken, the Netherlands, the second child of Anna J. Timmermans (1905 – 1995) and Hendrikus A.C.J. Janssens (1904 – 1936). Arie grew up in Eindhoven, from where he emigrated to the United States in 1956 after a brief stint in automotive school in Driebergen and compulsory service in the Royal Netherlands Army. Arie settled in Ohio, inspired by family friends Gene and Stell Shoemaker.

Arie received a B.S. in Geology from Kent State University in 1961 and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology from the Ohio State University in 1964 and 1967, respectively. From 1967 until 1977, Arie worked for the Ohio Geological Survey, where he published extensively and became an authority on the subsurface Lower and Middle Paleozoic rocks of Ohio. Until his retirement, he was a sought-after consulting geologist to the Ohio oil and gas industry. In 1998, Arie was recognized by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey, with the Mather Medal for his lifelong contributions to the knowledge of Ohio geology.

Arie never went a day without reading his beloved New York Times. He took some ribbing for always wearing sandals – barefoot, no matter what the weather. Arie had trouble sitting still. He was always on the go – by foot, bicycle, Vespa moped, or diesel VW. Arie loved to travel and especially enjoyed summers with friends in Vermont, time with extended family in the Netherlands, and a relatively recent multi-generational family tour of Yellowstone National Park. Arie was an accomplished, kind, generous and humble man who strongly believed in the power of education. He was also a philanthropist who assisted numerous organizations and people in need.

Arie is survived by his wife of almost five years, Judith Anne (née Cadot), his older sister Leonie (Doris) van Eijck-Janssens and younger sister Henriette (Jetty) van Heeswijk-Janssens (Jan). Arie is also survived by his nieces and nephews Annemiek van Eijck, Hanny Cohen-van Eijck, Wouter van Eijck (Caroline van Eijck-de Jong), Inge van Eijck (Mahmoud Zabihi), Marijke van Heeswijk (Tom DeVries), Ineke Weernink-van Heeswijk (Eric), Jeroen van Heeswijk (Jolanda van Putten), and several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews. Arie was predeceased by his parents and younger sister Mieke (1936), and his former wives Mary Ann Janssens and Carol Anne Christy. Arie has been buried in the Christy family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio.

Arie’s family thanks the staff of Kendal and his medical and hospice teams at Licking Memorial Hospital for their excellent care, and St. Luke’s ministers, Arie’s friends, and Judy’s family for their support and friendship. Those who wish to may contribute in Arie’s name to the Food Pantry Network of Licking County or a charity of their choice.

A celebration of Arie’s life will take place at Kendal, 2158 Columbus Road, Granville, Ohio 43023, on Saturday, July 28, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. The family correspondence address is P.O. Box 13061, Burton WA 98013.

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