DEBLAUWE, Claude - 1929-2017.
Claude Jacques Deblauwe passed away on Friday, December 1,
2017 in Mountain View, California.  He is survived by his wife of 54 years,
Elisa, and his two children, Claudette (MacMillan) and her husband Bruce, and
Tony and his wife, Roxanne. We loved him dearly and he will be greatly missed.
Claude was born in Belgium and came to the United States in the early sixties
where he met his wife, Elisa, in Chicago.  They moved to San Francisco where
Claudette was born and then to Minnesota where Tony was born.  The cold winters
quickly drove him back to California where he lived and raised his family.
Claude was a resident of San Jose, California for more than 40 years. His
journey started as a young boy in Belgium dealing with the occupation of his
country under the Nazi regime in WWII. He quickly learned he had to be
resourceful, a skill he would later use to his advantage in Africa. The allure
of the jungle was always in him as he read his favorite book, King Solomon's
Mines. In the early 1950's he had an opportunity to be a medical officer in the
Congo. He later chronicled his ten year journey through Central Africa in his
book, Kivu Safari where in one passage he describes, "On a sultry night against
an inky sky, the jungle was illuminated by a beaming moon and the howls of
hungry beasts searching for food."  Leaving Africa with nothing more than the
clothes on his back amid civil war, he settled in Chicago where his mother
resided and it was there that he met his wife, Elisa. With Claude's passing, we
recall the adventurer that he was and how he took his passion for helping others
from the jungle to the classroom. Claude loved to teach and spent almost 40
years educating young minds in the French language, culture, and civilization,
primarily at the University of San Francisco. He also had a penchant for the
fine arts and taught European art history (the Impressionists were his
favorite), and he had a talent for painting and sculpture himself.  His
dedication to his students was evident in how he painstakingly prepared lessons
and presentations. As a dad, Claude was equally generous with his sharing of
knowledge and education with his children, forging their foundation for a love
of learning. He was very proud of his children's accomplishments both in
education and in life. While the family is deeply saddened by Claude's passing,
they know he must now be fully trekking the big safari in the sky.  A
celebration of his life -- will be held at 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Burial at
1:30 p.m.) on December 7, 2017 at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, All Saints
Chapel, 22555 Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos, CA.  As expressions of sympathy, in
lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate consideration of a donation in
Claude's name to the Alzheimer's Association at: www.alz.org .