Hello,
My name is Scott Schroeder and I just came across your photographs of Stef from 2005. I was inspired to post the following on my facebook page. It is only fitting that I should also share it with you.
I should be in bed asleep. I checked emails after arriving home from a wonderful house concert. I was thinking of my husband in Europe and wondered if he had posted anything about a side trip to Belgium. He had not. Perhaps the opportunity did not come to pass. I will learn those details soon enough. I recalled from our travels the Belgians we had met and thought to google the name of someone I knew during grad school. For many reasons I don't do that often. Unfortunately Stef died of cancer in 2006. Learning that fact made me sad. But I was also delighted to find a ton of information on the company he founded, pictures of him from the year before he died and the homily from his funeral, translated from Dutch. It really touched my heart to learn that he had been successful in following his passion. And that his passion had enriched the lives of people around the globe. One photograph in particular captured how I remember his compassionate gaze. I searched no further into the details of his life. From that one image it was clear to me that to the end he was the wonderful person I remember. If I ever get to Belgium I will pause to savor Trappist ale and raise my glass to his good name, Stef Geens.
Thank you for sharing your photographs.
Scott Schroeder