Dirk W DeBoer, thirty-eight, adventurer, explorer and former resident of St Johns, was killed November 5, when the plane which he was flying, crashed into the Poas volcano near San Jose, Costa Rico. DeBoer graduated from St Johns High School in 1949 and from Michigan State Colleges School of Forestry in 1953. He then spent two years in the Army and left the service a 1st Lieutenant in 1955. He soon began his trek through South America, spending two years logging in Nicaragua, where he built a road fifty miles through the jungle, three logging camps, two landing strips and a cabin for his family. In 1963, he sold his logging business and moved to New London, Connecticut, where he entered Yale University and obtained his Masters Degree in Forestry. During 1964, he received his instrument rating and commercial flying license, ( having obtained his private flying license in 1952, he had logged over 4,600 hours of flying time prior to the plane crash). DeBoer then went on many trips to South America and in 1965, to Calabar, Nigeria, until the Civil War there forced him to evacuate the area. From Nigeria, he went to Peru and the head waters of the Amazon River for several months and in 1968, he was off to the Philippines and then back to South America to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Early in November, he was sent to Costa Rica to look over some timber tracks that were for lease. He and two colleagues left San Jose in a rented plane for Limon, Costa Rica, on November 4. The next morning the trio was looking over the tracts when the weather turned bad and caused the plane to crash head on into the side of the volcano, killing the three men. Survivors include his wife, Patricia, a son, Dirk Patrick, a daughter Robin Conrad, his parents Mr and Mrs Mark DeBoer of St Johns, and one brother, Dahl. Burial was in Mount Rest Cemetery. Posted in 1970.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 03:49:41 +0000
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