Richard William ‘Dick’ Ver Steeg, a resident of Pacific Palisades since 1982, passed away peacefully on January 25. He was 85 years old. Born on July 30, 1924 in Des Moines, Iowa, Dick moved to California with his mother Ruth and father Clarence in 1928, traveling in a Model T touring car along Route 66 to Los Angeles. After graduating from Gardena High School in 1942, Dick enlisted in the Navy and served as an aerographer’s mate in the Pacific until 1946. Following his honorable discharge in 1946, Dick attended Whittier College (class of 1948). It was there that Dick first met his future wife, Donna Lorraine Frank (class of 1951), while performing in school theatrical productions. In 1949, Dick began teaching at a junior high school in Victorville. Assigned to teach a ninth grade ‘dumbbell math’ class, he recognized that the students weren’t dumb ‘ they simply had different needs. He divided the class into smaller groups and provided curriculum targeted to each group’s needs. The keen observations, patience, and teaching skills that Dick demonstrated with that math class proved to be hallmarks of his career. Dick and Donna continued to see each other despite her enrollment at the Stanford University School of Nursing, many miles from Victorville. They became engaged in 1950 and, that summer, Dick moved to San Francisco, where he continued teaching at a junior high school. He and Donna were married November 23, 1950 at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. In 1951, Dick was offered a management training position at Prudential Insurance. Their first child, Juliana Marie, was born in 1953; in 1954, Prudential Insurance and the family moved down the peninsula to Menlo Park. In 1958, their second child, Anne Lorraine, was born and Dick was offered a job at Systems Development Corporation (SDC) in Santa Monica. At SDC, Dick found an opportunity to exercise his talent for teaching by developing training materials and curriculum for complex systems. Dick remained with SDC until his retirement. From 1959 to 1967, Dick and his family were on the move with SDC: Newburgh, New York; Tacoma, Washington; Grand Forks, North Dakota; San Rafael (where their third child, Richard Bruce, was born); and finally back to Santa Monica. The family settled in, with all three children graduating from Santa Monica High School’but SDC still kept Dick on the move, sending him at various times on extended business trips to Illinois, Boston and Turkey. Dick earned his master’s degree and a letter of commendation from the University of Southern California’s Institute of Safety and Systems Management in 1970. After their youngest child moved out in 1982, Dick and Donna looked for a new home and found what they were looking for in Pacific Palisades just a few blocks from the village. Dick retired from SDC/Unisys in 1989 and set to work enjoying his new community. He joined American Legion Post 283 and served as Post Commander in 1997-98. He and Donna became regular patrons of village restaurants and businesses, and attending the Fourth of July parade became a tradition for them and their extended family. In 1971, Dick started drawing stick-figure cartoons for his own amusement and for the family Christmas cards. For 29 years he illuminated the key moments of his family’s life with pithy, humorous drawings. He drew from his experience of spending much time working and playing with his family. He taught his children how to fix and build things, and to share work equally. A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, at Legion Post 283 on La Cruz. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the West Los Angeles Fisher House Foundation (www.westlafisherhouse.org) or the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org or (800) 272-3900).
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