Dave Feenstra, who retired in 2012 as a maintenance supervisor, died following an accident at his family's greenhouse December 10. He was 61.
He remained connected to Grand Valley after his retirement. In 2014, he served as the adjunct manager for the Sustainable Agriculture Project, housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies. His responsibilities included monitoring and planning food production and managing daily operations of “The Farm,” such as marketing, transportation and academic department communication. Feenstra also worked on small projects for Facilities Services.
Tim Thimmesch, associate vice president for Facilities Services, called Feenstra dedicated, inquisitive, loyal and "a Laker at heart." He added Feenstra had tremendous impact on sustainability projects for the university.
"He took the lead on improvements in our Central Utilities Building — steam and cooling production to the campus as a whole," Thimmesch said. "This included boiler upgrades, introducing improved technology that helped reduce energy costs, and installing more efficient processes for the daily work of the facilities unit."
Youssef Darwich, current manager of the Sustainable Agriculture Project, said Feenstra made instrumental steps to improve the farm's operations.
"He was always there to help answer a question or give insight to help make things run more smoothly," Darwich said. "Dave's wealth of knowledge, compassion and vision will be dearly missed and his impact on our community will be felt for many years to come."
Feenstra worked as a farmer for his entire life and managed Feenstra Brothers Farms and Greenhouse, on 68th Street in Allendale, with his brother, Bern. The 400-acre farm includes 120 acres of asparagus and a 90,000-square-foot greenhouse.
Feenstra joined Grand Valley in 1994 as assistant maintenance supervisor.
