Curt Eysink

"Curt Eysink lived so that others could have a better life. When he died at age 53 on Friday, he had done more for his family, friends, and his beloved state of Louisiana than men who have lived well past their expected years. He was born in South Africa, but he moved around the world, following the work of his father and mother. Scotland, Australia, Venezuela, Holland. His father got a job in New Orleans, and Curt landed in Louisiana where he went to school at LSU and then stayed to pursue work that was always filled with purpose: serving the civic good as a journalist; improving health care; and, most important to him, turning the Louisiana Workforce Commission into an agency that gave tens of thousands of his neighbors a chance at good jobs and purposeful work too. Tall, rugged, and charming with that South African accent, he could've had any woman he chose. He picked the only one he loved: Dianne Nodier. And, together, they created a family that reflected their beliefs: Live each day with a purpose. Be kind and respectful. Laugh so that others know it's okay. Cook a big pot of gumbo when it's cold outside and invite the neighbors. Wherever Curt went, he made friends and spun stories. There was the original Mini he owned. It was so tiny that, when it went into a ditch, he and his friend simply picked it up and put it back on the road. Then there was a stray dog named Leah. Tiny, matted, and skittish around strangers, Leah caught Curt's attention at the Baton Rouge pound. Knowing a dog that smelled so bad wouldn't have a chance of being adopted, he brought her home himself. Leah spent the rest of her life returning his kindness. And there was the thing with the dishes. Instead of cleaning a sinkful that had been left untended for months, he simply tossed them all and bought a new set. Curt was a problem-solver like that. He loved LSU and Saints football, rugby, and soccer- all sports that required the consumption of Heineken and barbecued meats, the company of friends, and passionate arguments over NFL drafts, coaching choices, plays that weren't run but should've been. Curt came from a small family, but he married into one of the largest in Louisiana, a gathering of Nodiers, Christs, Ieyoubs. And that made him very happy. You can see him in the middle of the photographs-on the beach at Dauphin Island-surrounded by more than 100 in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews, and wearing that joyful smile he took with him everywhere. Every room he walked into, he brought that smile, and it inevitably spread to others-for good reason, too: Curt was happy inside. If this obit didn't include the details of his life, Curt, once an editor at the paper, would send it back to the reporter to include the details, tossing in a couple of expletives in with his instructions. Here's a roundup of how he made the world a little better. He studied at LSU, graduating in 1986 with a degree in journalism, then joining The Advocate as a reporter. He covered crime and the city. He was among the leading writers when Exxon blew up in 1989. He was known to get to a crime scene ahead of the cops, where he would start interviewing witnesses before they could. He was righteous in his reporting, and had a healthy disgust for the way the world worked, because he knew Baton Rouge and Louisiana could do better for its people. He rose through the ranks to become a city editor in 2002. Curt left journalism in 2004 to become a marketing executive at Louisiana Healthcare Review. He joined the Louisiana Workforce Commission in 2008 and led that state agency from 2009 to 2016. He didn't believe the narrative that state employees did nothing. Instead, he was honored to work with them. Curt gave them a noble aim, and together they guided an ambitious redesign of the state's workforce development strategy. Because he knew there were more Louisiana jobs that needed to be filled, Curt continued in workforce development for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. He was driving to work the morning he was struck by a heart event, and left the world five days later, though we can still hear him laughing and arguing his point. Curt is survived by his wife, Dianne Nodier Eysink; three children, Samantha, Maxwell and Adelaide, parents Ute and Billy Eysink; brothers Paul and Konrad, as well as many nephews and nieces, and friends. All remember him as a wonderful husband, father, uncle and brother. Curt's funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, May 1, 2017 at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fr. Cleo Milano will officiate. Visitation will be at Rabenhorst Funeral Home "“ Downtown on Government Street "“ from 6:00 to 9:00 PM with a prayer service and memorial at 7:30 PM. Visitation will continue Monday at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM. Memorial donations may be made to the Eysink Family Fund, a non-profit fund dedicated to making positive changes in areas Curt held dear, at Baton Rouge Area Foundation, 100 North Street, Suite 900, Baton Rouge, LA 70802.