Leopold Raf Biezenbos

L. Raf Biezenbos, 62, passed away suddenly as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage on Wednesday, June 16th in Littleton, Colorado. He is the beloved husband of Marbeth Shay; loving son of Bert and Coleen (preceded in death by his mother Jacomina); Raf was a loving father to Scott and Elizabeth; Opa to Brenden, William and Harrison; brother of: Frank and wife Dianne, Case and wife Mary, Robert and wife Kathy; stepbrother of Greg Stewart, Wyndham Stewart and wife Lindy. Brother in-law to Mill and George Zibell, and Ben and Judy McFerran. Also survived by an aunt Jenny Oostdyk and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews and cousins. Raf was born on July 1, 1942 in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. He was named in honor of the British Royal Air Force. Raf and his family moved to Canada in 1951 where he became part of the Elgin Army Regiment in his teens. They came to Savannah in 1960, where he graduated from Savannah High School and attended Armstrong College. Raf then became a citizen of the United States. He was employed for 20 years by Smith and Kelly, VP of Operations and retired from Strachan shipping as VP of Risk Management and Safety Director in 2003. Raf was a member of the Jaycees, former Chairman of the Pilotage Commission, past President of the American Association of Safety Engineers and longtime supporter of Public Radio. He was also a member of the Advisory Board for the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute. A Memorial service in Colorado will be held Sunday, June 19th at 4pm, Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway, Denver. A Memorial service in Georgia will be held on Wednesday, June 22nd at 2pm, Christ Church located at 28 Bull Street, Savannah. Raf never met a stranger, he always met friends. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted: (Checks made payable to) CU Foundation 'For Raf Biezenbos Memorial' Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute c/o Gail Phillips PO Box 6510 Campus Box F731 Aurora CO 80045