Aart C. De Jong

Aart C. De Jong, 86, of Cottonwood, passed away at home on March 25, 2016. He was born on January 19, 1930 in Den Haag, Holland, The Netherlands to Cornelis T. De Jong and Berta Van Ommeren. Aart worked in banking in various countries including India and Indonesia. In 1956 he emigrated to the U.S. and worked in Nevada, Arizona, California and Colorado banks. He rose through the ranks to achieve the position of Region Director for First Interstate Bank in Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Wyoming. Aart\u0027s greatest joy was spending time with his family. A well-educated man, he also enjoyed reading, solving differential calculus problems, hiking, traveling and history. A kind, intelligent person interested in life around him, he was diplomatic to the extreme, thought of others before himself, and had a wonderfully quirky sense of humor. Aart is survived by his wife of 35+ years Margaret "Margo" Mitchell of Cottonwood; sons Lawrence E. De Jong (Colleen) of WA, Mark A. De Jong of AZ and Michael S. De Jong (Augusta) of OR; sisters Mara Nederpelt (Tom), Lili Felder-Sirks (Wim) and Bea Daniels, all of the Netherlands; 4 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. There are no public services planned. Donations may be sent to The Nature Conservancy, 1510 E. Fort Lowell Rd., Tucson, AZ 85719.