1923
Karst
2015
Karst Hoogsteen
October 1, 1923 — August 10, 2015
Karst Hoogsteen, PhD (formerly of Westfield, NJ and Waretown, NJ), age 91, passed away with his family and loving wife of 57 years at his side at Fellowship Village in Basking Ridge, NJ on August 10, 2015 after a brief illness.
Karst was born on October 1, 1923 in Groningen, The Netherlands. He was awarded his PhD in Crystallography from the University of Groningen, and immigrated to the United States in 1956 to work with Linus Pauling as a research fellow at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA. Later, he proudly became a US citizen and moved to Westfield, NJ to work as a research crystallographer at Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) in Rahway, NJ. He retired after 29 years at MSD in 1992 as Senior Director of Biophysics. Famous in the world of biochemistry, some of his best-known research consists of the 'Hoogsteen base pair', which he reported just ten years after the publication of Watson & Crick's more famous DNA double helix model.
Karst loved living life in the USA with his wife, Margaret. Together, they camped in the desert Southwest, drove from coast-to-coast, and enjoyed the New Jersey coastline. Travel in general was a big part of their lives, from hiking in Switzerland to visiting the British Isles, Ireland, Iceland, France, and of course, The Netherlands. Karst loved fine art, classical music, farming, flying, sailing and all gadgets and was always tinkering with the inner workings of some thing. He was a long time member of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, and was involved for many years along with his wife in Presbyterian Elders in Prayer. But especially, Karst loved being a father and Opa!
Karst is survived by his wife, Margaretha G. Hoogsteen-Wijngaarden; his sister, Jeike Alida Hoogsteen; his children, Adrianneke Hoogsteen and Willem Peter Hoogsteen and their spouses; his five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; three nieces, a nephew and their children.
Visitation will be private. Burial will take place 11 am Wednesday at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. A memorial life celebration service will be 2 pm Saturday August 15, 2015 at the chapel of the Presbyterian Church . Funeral arrangements by Gray Funeral Directors in Westfield. Go to grayfuneralhomes.com for on line condolences.
In lieu of flowers and other contributions the family asks that donations be made in the name of
Dr. Karst and Margaret Hoogsteen:
Saint Michael's Indian School, in Window Rock, Arizona, www.smase.org; providing education and enrichment to moderate to severely disabled children and adults from throughout the Navajo Nation (an institution near and dear to the Hoogsteens' hearts)
The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, www.westfieldpc.org
Gospel for Asia, www.gfa.org
Karst was born on October 1, 1923 in Groningen, The Netherlands. He was awarded his PhD in Crystallography from the University of Groningen, and immigrated to the United States in 1956 to work with Linus Pauling as a research fellow at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA. Later, he proudly became a US citizen and moved to Westfield, NJ to work as a research crystallographer at Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) in Rahway, NJ. He retired after 29 years at MSD in 1992 as Senior Director of Biophysics. Famous in the world of biochemistry, some of his best-known research consists of the 'Hoogsteen base pair', which he reported just ten years after the publication of Watson & Crick's more famous DNA double helix model.
Karst loved living life in the USA with his wife, Margaret. Together, they camped in the desert Southwest, drove from coast-to-coast, and enjoyed the New Jersey coastline. Travel in general was a big part of their lives, from hiking in Switzerland to visiting the British Isles, Ireland, Iceland, France, and of course, The Netherlands. Karst loved fine art, classical music, farming, flying, sailing and all gadgets and was always tinkering with the inner workings of some thing. He was a long time member of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, and was involved for many years along with his wife in Presbyterian Elders in Prayer. But especially, Karst loved being a father and Opa!
Karst is survived by his wife, Margaretha G. Hoogsteen-Wijngaarden; his sister, Jeike Alida Hoogsteen; his children, Adrianneke Hoogsteen and Willem Peter Hoogsteen and their spouses; his five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; three nieces, a nephew and their children.
Visitation will be private. Burial will take place 11 am Wednesday at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. A memorial life celebration service will be 2 pm Saturday August 15, 2015 at the chapel of the Presbyterian Church . Funeral arrangements by Gray Funeral Directors in Westfield. Go to grayfuneralhomes.com for on line condolences.
In lieu of flowers and other contributions the family asks that donations be made in the name of
Dr. Karst and Margaret Hoogsteen:
Saint Michael's Indian School, in Window Rock, Arizona, www.smase.org; providing education and enrichment to moderate to severely disabled children and adults from throughout the Navajo Nation (an institution near and dear to the Hoogsteens' hearts)
The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, www.westfieldpc.org
Gospel for Asia, www.gfa.org
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Karst Hoogsteen, please visit our flower store.
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