If you’ve ever stopped to admire and feed the koi at ZooMontana, then you may have noticed Teus Sterkenburg’s name on the sign that hangs by the ponds.
Teus has spent a lot of time here, helping build the ponds and pump houses. He also brought along some of the fish when he moved to Montana.
See the koi ponds built by Teus Sterkenburg:
“I brought them all kinds of sizes. Most of these I bred,” Teus says, looking out the pond.
Breeding koi and setting up ponds is one of his hobbies. At the age of 90, he still helps maintain the ponds and filtration system at the zoo.
“I always say that it’s a lot of work, but if it’s your hobby it’s not work,” he says.
Teus spent his career working as a civil engineer—a profession that took him all over the world, including Holland, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and several places in the United States.
“I’m a civil engineer in the dredging business. I did harbors, rivers, deepening—making land, building roads—all hydraulically. Dredging basically means excavation on the water."
He grew up in Holland at a time when the fate of the world was very much up in the air.
“When World War II broke out, I was five years old and that was quite an experience. We had some bombings going on where I lived,” he recalls.
The Netherlands quickly fell to Germany and during the occupation, his family was forced to give up part of their home to German officers.
But what he says he remembers most about the war is hunger.
“Food was scarce. I was growing up in a different way. I still scrape my plate, and I don’t leave any food behind or throw any out,” he says.
That was long ago.
These days, as he gets ready to turn 91, he still stays active. He’s also an avid wildlife photographer who enjoys taking pictures of birds and he’s picked up another hobby as well—growing iris gardens.
“You learn more about it before you know it you are buried in irises,” he laughs.
A Super Senior still on the go—and still making a difference.
Click here to nominate someone for Q2’s Super Senior segment:
