Calvin News

In 2009, when Albert Boerema was getting ready to lead Calvin’s New Mexico semester for the first time, he turned to his then-colleague Ronald Sjoerdsma for advice. Sjoerdsma had led the program several years prior.

“I asked him if he had any documents or paper that I would need or could use in my planning,” recalls Boerema. “He said, ‘hold on,’ went to his office, and came back with the Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church directory. There was nothing about schedules, timelines, field trips, or calendars. To him that directory was the most important thing I would need—to know the people in the Rehoboth community where we would be based.”

That love of people and community sits at the center of Sjoerdsma’s legacy.  He died on March 18, 2026, at the age of 75.

“Ron was a kind, caring colleague. He made many valuable contributions to our work of preparing future educators,” said Jane Genzink, a longtime colleague.

“He approached each of his students as people of worth and value,” said James Rooks, also a longtime colleague.

Discovering a heart for people

Sjoerdsma earned his bachelor’s degree from Dordt College, a master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and a PhD from UCLA. He served for several years as a high school English and media teacher and baseball coach in Hull, Iowa, and Cerritos, California. After a short stint outside the classroom designing educational assessments, Sjoerdsma realized his true passion was working with people. In 1991, he returned to the classroom, beginning a nearly 30-year career as a professor of education at Calvin University.

“I would describe Ron as being deeply generous,” said Genzink. “As a professor, he was always available to students outside of class—whether to answer questions about the course or just check in on how they were doing. He extended this same generosity to his colleagues, always making time for the thoughtful professional and personal conversations.”

Using his expertise on-campus and beyond

Sjoerdsma’s colleagues describe him as wise, experienced, and knowledgeable as an educator. He was also a trailblazer in the use of technology, both on campus and in the broader community. In the early 1990s, he helped the Education Department explore students’ use of computers for educational purposes. He also conducted research with the Van Andel Institute for Education, developing a number of technology projects for Grand Rapids Public Schools and for programs around the country.

But it isn’t his expertise that he’ll be primarily remembered for at Calvin, it’s his commitment to putting others first.

Modeling a servant’s heart

“I remember his generosity as a department chair. He would take on a greater load rather than expect one of the department members to be burdened,” said Boerema. “When it was time to assign courses, he fulfilled everyone else’s desires, and he took what was left.”

“He prioritized collaboration, empowering others, and moving forward together in search of ways to improve education,” said John Walcott, a longtime colleague.

“He oftentimes set aside his own agenda to be available for others,” said Genzink.

And this included scrapping entire lesson plans sometimes just minutes before class because he had an idea that he believed would improve the learning experience for his students.

Never settling, always up for an adventure

“I remember often getting to the office early and Ron would say, ‘I had an idea’ and we would, together, replace our lesson plan for the three-hour class with something new,” said Robert Keeley, a longtime colleague who co-taught some classes with Sjoerdsma. 

“About 20 minutes before class, he’d often say, ‘I was thinking about our lesson for today and what do you think about doing this instead?’” recalls Marj Terpstra, a longtime colleague who also co-taught some classes with Sjoerdsma.

“It was exciting to take a new idea and turn it into a lesson plan with the clock ticking,” said Keeley. “That’s the way Ron was. He never settled for a lesser lesson plan.”

Prioritizing his family, leading with his faith

While his love for serving his colleagues and students was central to his legacy at Calvin, his family didn’t take a back seat in the process.

“Ron loved his wife and his family,” said Rooks. “When we were traveling to conferences, he would always call Judi to talk and sign off saying ‘I love you babe.’”

“Ron had a deep love for his wife and children,” said Brian Bolt, dean of education.

“If he had a free weekend, he’d drive halfway across the country to see a nephew or niece play soccer,” said Keeley. “He saw his grandchildren playing sports as much as possible.”

In short, Sjoerdsma’s faith was evident in the way he loved others as himself.

“His humility and heart stood out. People could see Jesus in Ron,” said Bolt.

Sjoerdsma is survived by his wife of 53 years, Judi; their daughters Barbara Ford (Lance), Jeni VanNoord (Jeff), and Melissa Sjoerdsma-McNeill; five grandchildren; siblings Gregg (Ann Dena), Joel (Lucrecia), and Lisa VandeLune (Brian); and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Peterson Funeral and Cremation Services in Cadillac, Michigan. Friends may meet the family one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.