Samuel Roelof Ree

“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Samuel Roelof Ree would agree that motto accurately described him. Samuel was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Samuel, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Samuel placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

       He was the son of Lubberta "Luppie" Hofman and Roelof Ree. His childhood found him in Heemestede where he matured into the independent person he eventually became.

       Sam had a younger brother Klaas. Samuel could be seen as being stubborn by his siblings. It was important to him that he was perceived as “right” when it came to his part in those typical family spats. However, this quality did not over power his caring for his family. This ability to balance his family, with his need to be seen as right, helped him to develop into a young adult while enjoying many good times with his family.

      During his grade school years, Samuel was a very focused and serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. While his first love might have been academics, Samuel He took part with a group of friends sailing on the weekends. As he was brought up in an occupied country, he did not participate in organizations. Samuel delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution.

      During high school, Samuel was relentless in his pursuit of learning, especially in those subject areas that really grabbed hold of his interests. It wasn't that he didn't put forth his best efforts in all classes, but if a subject really interested him, he would eagerly put forth extra effort to learn all he could. He enjoyed French in High School. His love for languages and art would help him in his future careers.

      Samuel's inventive side developed as he moved into his college years. When Samuel found himself involved in an area that particularly interested him, he could organize and complete any task that was given to him and make it look as if he hadn't really needed to put forth any effort. Sam attended York University,Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He also pursued graduate school, earning his degree in International Management. He loved his Financial courses.

      Samuel was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Samuel sometimes had a tendency to be critical in his friendships but he was more interested in finding out what was right in a situation rather than in being mean toward others. He never intentionally set out to hurt any of his friends. Samuel was a person who challenged others to fend for themselves and to be original in their thinking and evaluation of the outside world. While growing up in Holland his best friends were Robert ,Gerri and Astrid. He kept in contact with his Dutch friends and later in life, he became friends with Gayna and Tony Elkington.

    Carole and Sam lived in a common-law relationship from 1987. They married June 1, 2015, They exchanged wedding vows at the home of Reverend Cassandra Hart in the Haliburton Highlands, Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. Carole's sensitivity to Samuel's needs proved to be a wonderful influence on this man, who preferred to live in his “gut.” Carole's influence brought Samuel to a new emotional level, one that eventually enhanced all of his other gifts and abilities. Carole was able to help Samuel appreciate the fact that others made contributions and Samuel became better at interacting with those around him. Because of this, Samuel grew as a person.

      Samuel often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed. They were always aware of how much Samuel loved them.

      During Samuel's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Samuel was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. Sam started his own business Ultimate Solutions in 1994 as an International Financial Consultant. Sam was employed for 26 years with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He was early retired in 1991.

      For Samuel, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "hows" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Samuel was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. Sam loved to travel, Languages and art.

      Due to Samuel's loyalty and passion for following things through to their conclusion, he found that he was a definite asset to many organizations. Once he was firmly behind a common goal, Samuel's skills became an integral part of the planning process and the success of any project. Samuel was an active member of the British Aqua Diving Group in Singapore. Samuel's contributions were valued as being the “structure” person of each individual organization.

      Samuel's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Samuel loved the research aspects of planning a trip, but the actual process of relaxing was far more difficult. Still, he did manage to enjoy some time away. Favorite vacations included France, Japan, England.

      When Samuel's was early retired in 1991 he retired with Carole to a dilapidated Dutch Barn in Buckhorn, Ontario. It took them two years to renovate it to a beautiful home. He retired from his own business in 2008 to pursue his dream of writing.

      Samuel Roelof Ree passed away on October 9, 2015 at The Old Barn, Buckhorn. Sam fought a brave battle against COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. He is survived by his loving wife Carole. Services were held at Comstock Funeral Home, Peterborough, Ontario. Samuel will have his ashes scattered in the Netherlands.

      Samuel Roelof Ree was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.

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Passed away peacefully at his home with his loving wife Carole Anne Wilkie by his side on October 9, 2015. Born January 5, 1936 in Heemstede, Holland. Son of the late Roelof Ree (1971) and Lubbarta “Luppie” Ree (Hofman) (2001). Cherished father of Rana (Carl) Gerigher of Leysin, Switzerland. Dear brother of Klaas (Melitta) of Peachland, B.C. Brother-in-law to Clive (Jacquie) Wilkie of Seattle, Washington, Kathryn (Bill) McAllister of Arnprior, Ontario Son-in-law of Jean Evans, Buckhorn, Ontario. Uncle of Leanne (David) of San Francisco, Stephen (Kirsten) of Florida, Nicole (Alan) of Toronto and Cameron of Toronto. Great uncle to Liam James and Abigail Elizabeth. Visitation will take place on Thursday, October 15, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. with a Funeral Service following at 3:00 p.m. at COMSTOCK FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION CENTRE, 356 Rubidge Street. Memorial donations to the Salvation Army or Lung Association would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at www.comstockfuneralhome.com