Theodore C. De Groot

Theodore (Dick) Cornelius de Groot, age 98, died Saturday, July 20, 2019 at Saucon Valley Manor in Hellertown PA. He was born December 15, 1920 in Scheveningen, the Netherlands to Cornelia de Boer and Nicolaas de Groot. Although his original plan was to study engineering, Theodore pursued his other passion, art and earned his Masters Degree in Painting and Sculpting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Den Haag, the Netherlands. Shortly after WWII, he married his beloved wife, Johanna, and soon operated his first of two production potteries producing tea services, dinnerware and objects d'art. Also in the 1950's, Theodore was house designer for Royal Begeer where he designed items and medallions in precious metals for the Royal House of the Netherlands. From the Netherlands, Theodore and Johanna emigrated first to Canada, and then to the US to eventually settle in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, with their five children, where they resided for more than 30 years. Once in the US, Theodore freelanced for many years creating sculptures and murals -- several of his commissions in commercial establishments and institutions, including a larger-than-life size Thoroughbred horse sculpture which still adorns the clubhouse of Triple Crown Pimlico Racetrack in Maryland. In the late 60's, Theodore established his production art company, NJ Austin Productions designing and creating metal sculpture and later “Lath Art" with distribution world-wide. It was during this 20-year span that Theodore had some of his fondest memories working with all five of his children, along with a dedicated crew of assemblers and framers. After retiring, Theodore resumed his freelancing, creating sculptures and painting for his own pleasure. In his 80's and 90's, he had several gallery shows and continued painting into his 90's. Theodore was the proud father of five children: Wil and wife Sandy; Lydia and husband Matt; Walter; Ermelindis and partner Ed; Jerome and partner Penny. He was also the adoring "Opa" of nine grandchildren: Veronique, Eric, Alexander, Sam, Lucinda, Nicki, Matthew, Kielty and Ethan and two great grandsons, Kellen and Nolan. All who knew Theodore will remember his great sense of humor and his love of jazz and books. Theodore possessed a curious mind and was always on a quest for knowledge. He was a devoted husband for 62 years to his dear wife, Johanna, who predeceased him in 2010 and whom he missed very much. In his widower years, his constant companion was his Pomeranian dog, "Charlie." A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington NJ. Interment will follow at Frenchtown Cemetery. Calling hour will be from 10:00 am until the time of service at the funeral home on October 12, 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Hubert's Animal Shelter, 3201 US Rt 22, Somerville, NJ 08876. For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.