Anton van Ouwerkerk died on Wednesday, April 8, at Arden Court Memory Care Center in Whippany, at the age of 93.
He was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and married Arendina “Dini” (Ikking) in 1950. They were married for 63 years, until her death in 2014.
Mr. Ouwerkerk graduated from the Technische Hogeschool in Amsterdam with a degree in chemistry. He and his family emigrated to the United States in the 1960s and moved to Livingston. He worked in the fragrance industry, initially at Polak and Schwartz in the Netherlands and later at International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) in the U.S. He was the author of many patents related to fragrance manufacturing, and a member of the board, and later president of, the American Society of Perfumers.
Mr. Ouwerkerk played trumpet in several jazz bands during the 1940s and 50s, and was the founding president of the Cook College (Rutgers University) Parents’ Association. He was also a long-time member of the Livingston Senior Bridge Club.
He is survived by his daughters, Marja van Ouwerkerk and Petra Strickland, his sons-in-law, and six grandchildren.
The family plans to celebrate his life as soon as friends and family are able to gather together.
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