Dirk Baay Obituary

Dirk Baay, 92, Professor Emeritus of German at Colorado College, died August 12, 2016. He was born in Vreeland, Netherlands, December 28, 1923 to Gerben and Jansje Baay of the distinguished boat-building family.

Soon after finishing high school, during the Nazi occupation, he was forced to work in Germany. Because he was fluent in several languages, he was assigned to an office job with the I.G. Farben chemical company. After the war, he worked as a translator in a hospital for displaced persons.

He remained in West Germany where he studied theology at the University of Marburg. Unfortunately, he developed tuberculosis and spent two years recovering in a sanitorium. After his release, his uncle, Henry Baay, invited him to come to the United States, where he found new opportunities, became a U.S. citizen, and has lived ever since.

He earned his academic degrees from Calvin College (AB) and the University of Michigan (PhD). In 1954, he became a faculty member at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he used his first sabbatical teaching on a Fulbright Grant at Cuttington College in Liberia. In 1966 he accepted the position of Professor and Chair of the German Department at Colorado College.

In addition to his German literature and language courses, Dirk enjoyed developing new courses incorporating science, history, religion, and philosophy. In other spheres, he learned the joys of fly fishing, became active as a soccer referee, and helped develop the youth soccer program. He loved classical music and enjoyed the Philharmonic and other concert series, and sang with the Colorado Springs Chorale for more than 30 years.

He is survived by his brother, Gerben Baay (Neeltje), sister Truus Suring, both of the Netherlands, sister Tine Swart (Grady Spires) of Danvers, MA, his daughter, Kristen Zajac, and his two sons, Matthew and David (Andrea Herrera), all of Colorado Springs, his former wife and good friend, Muriel Baay, three grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren and his beloved little dog, Maisie.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 10:00 AM in Shove Memorial Chapel, 1000 North Nevada at Colorado College.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Colorado Springs Choral Society (Donald Jenkins Fund).