A. Koeze

LELAND — A. Scott Koeze, 74, died June 19, 2011, at his home outside of Leland. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer.Scott graduated from Wyoming Park High School and the University of Miami. Following graduation he returned to Grand Rapids to join his father in the family business, Koeze Company, where he worked supervising manufacturing. When his father died suddenly in 1966, Scott was thrust into the role of running the business, a task for which he was virtually unprepared, confessing "until my Dad died I'd never even set foot in the office." When he did enter the office, he learned that the company was essentially bankrupt. Notwithstanding the obstacles, he soon built Koeze Company into a significant national manufacturer of peanut butter and specialty nuts.Scott retired in 1997, and poured his energy into running his northern Michigan ranch. From childhood he had a special love of horses, and he bred first Paso Fino and then Friesian horses on the ranch. He also was an avid collector of cowboy art and western antiques. Nearly every morning he could be found in a Leelanau County coffee shop preparing for ranch work over coffee with his friend and sidekick, Panta Leon.Scott was a quiet and generous supporter of many charities, including Grand Valley State University, where his mother, Ella Koeze, served as a founding member of the university's governing board.He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Ruth Koeze; his brother, David Koeze, of Grand Rapids; his twin brother, Robert Koeze, of Charlottesville, Va.; his children and their spouses, Kristin and Ryan Sterkenburg, of Leland, Cynthia Koeze and Jerald Bell, of Omena, and Jeffrey and Katharine Koeze, of Grand Rapids; and his four grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Ella Koeze; his brother, Thomas Koeze, of London, England; and his sister, MaryBeth Koeze, of Chelsea.A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, June 27, at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home beginning at 3:30 p.m.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the A. Scott and Ruth P. Koeze Graduate Business Scholarship, Grand Valley State University, University Development Office, P. O. Box 1945, Grand Rapids, MI 49501; or to support pancreatic cancer research at Mayo Clinic in Arizona (please address gifts to the Department of Development, 13400 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85259, to the A. Scott Koeze Memorial Fund). The family is being served by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.