His positive energy and sense of humour are what Richard Kouwenhoven will miss most about his dad, Dick.
“I think for a lot of people, that’s the hard part. He was always an uplifting person. I guess you get used to having that presence there, so that’s what people will miss for sure. He connected people,” says Kouwenhoven.
Dick, who owned and ran Burnaby-based Hemlock Printers for nearly 50 years, died on April 25 from esophageal cancer.
Born in the Netherlands during the Second World War, the ninth child of 12, Dick knew at an early age he wanted to work with his hands. His father was a builder and had a carpentry workshop behind the house, a place Dick constantly found himself in.
After eight years working in the trade in the Netherlands, Dick immigrated to Canada with his brother in 1965. The following day, he was hired as a typesetter. Six months later, he was approached by a man who had just purchased Hemlock Printers, who was looking for someone “who could make things happen in the shop.”
Dick would go on to become Hemlock’s sole business owner a few years later, eventually becoming a trail blazer in Canada’s printing industry.
As the technology changed, Dick made sure he was ahead of the curve, according to his son.
“The industry from the time he started completely transformed more than once. He dealt with the transition from completely analog to a digital workflow through the ’80s and ’90s. ... Then digital communication becoming the main mode of communication. That led us to diversify the business into different areas,” says Kouwenhoven, noting his dad was also committed to sustainability and environmental leadership.
Hemlock, as Kouwenhoven describes it, was “a vehicle for him to work with so many different people.”
“I think his success wasn’t because he wanted to run a successful business financially. It was because he wanted to run a really strong business that did great work and had great people working for it,” he says.
One of Dick’s pastimes was sailing, which Kouwenhoven looks back on fondly. The family bought a small sailboat in the early ’80s and would spend many vacations exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands.
“Mornings on the sailboat, where he’s making breakfast and having a good time,” recalls Kouwenhoven through tears. “We sort of think back to our earlier years because that’s when the person you know is from those experiences. Our sail trips are some of the nicest memories.”
Dick loved sailing so much he got into racing, which took him to Hawaii three times.
“He was quite successful. He won the race one year, so it became another part of his life, his hobbies,” says Kouwenhoven.
As for his father’s legacy, he says it comes down to the friendships he built over his life, with clients, suppliers, industry peers and non-profit organizations.
“I think he was someone that helped bring people together. He helped create a really strong community, and I think a lot of that is in Burnaby.”
Dick is survived by his wife Clara (nee Boonstra), daughter Vanessa (Mike), son Richard (Pippa), his four grandchildren Genevieve, Jonathan, Georgina and Naomi, his siblings Andries (Dingena), Joke, Frank (Shirley), Bill (Sieny), Henk (Jannie) and Frits (Darlene), and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life for friends, family and colleagues will take place on Saturday, May 27 at the Vancouver Convention Centre (west building), from 2 to 4:30 p.m. RSVP by emailing [email protected].
In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
