Dr. Dion van Noort
14th June 1936 – 23rd May 2020
Rest in Peace Dad, Brother, Grandad & Friend to so many.
Dear Old Boys,
I write with the sad news of the passing of my dad Dion van Noort, who proudly attended PBHS alongside his elder brother Gerard between 1948 and 1952 (Arcadia House). He always spoke fondly and proudly of his school days, and stayed in touch with friends and the school after he left. I was privileged to attend Solomon House from 1987 – 1991 with my younger brother Jonathan. This added another lovely connection for him to the school, and I have fond memories of him enjoying (probably a bit too much…) the hospitality in the Mulvenna Bar during my cricket matches on Hofmeyer Oval. I believe he attended his “50 Year On” celebration in 2002, as well as many other functions over the years, where he caught up with so many old friends and no doubt shared many a mischievous tale.
After leaving PBHS he studied a four-year BSc in Agriculture at Stellenbosch University, graduating in December 1956. This was followed by a stint of field work conducting soil profile research in the Karoo for the department of Agriculture before travelling to California to pursue his Doctorate at UCLA (PhD obtained in June 1964), alongside his brother Gerard, and good friend and fellow old boy, Ed Krohn, who also sadly passed away in 2019. While in Los Angeles he met and married (on the 4th August 1962) our Mom, Helen “Button” Hansen, who was flying with TWA out of Los Angeles, as an air hostess at the time. Mum passed away in September 2019 in England, the country of her birth, having spent the last 20 years of her life back there after living in South Africa for 35 years. They had five children during their married life spent in Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, with Simon (1964) first born, followed by Andrew (1967), Samantha Jane (1970), Timothy (1974) and Jonathan (1976). Samantha tragically passed away, aged 9 months, in 1970, and she has always held a special place in all our hearts. Dion will also be deeply missed by his seven loving grandchildren, including Simon’s eldest, Lauren who together with her Dad spent many hours loving and caring for Dion during his sunset years in Muizenberg, Cape Town.
Dad loved his sport and in particular his tennis and cricket, and always proudly supported his boys during their sporting endeavours. His love for sport probably revolved mostly around the social opportunities it presented, and a chance also to compete (he played for the Keys cricket side, the St Peters Preparatory School old boys’ team in Johannesburg, until his mid-forties), which I think he passed onto his boys. His currency was social connectivity, and his sharp wit and maverick opinion, and “on the edge” sense of humour was a highlight for the many people he crossed paths with during his innings. Add into this an extremely high intellect and scientific mind, he delighted in mesmerising folk with his eccentric theories and philosophies, and I sometimes smile thinking he would not have been out of place in Ancient Egypt advising the Pharaohs! He was also incredibly creative and channelled this through so many different avenues, and his resourcefulness and industrious nature where second to none. His home brewing in the spare room, toy and furniture making in the garage, and Jewellery design were a few things we remember so fondly. Later in life he became a legend for his baking skills in Muizenberg, where the tales of his famous carrot cake reached far and wide, particularly with the international tourists who stayed at Amberley Lodge (which he managed for many years), or the customers at Rolling Wood Cafe. He passed away peacefully on the 23rd May 2020, having struggled towards the end with degeneration of his hearing and sight, but never lost his fighting spirit and sense of humour.
He was an extremely colourful character, and his light and love will shine on in all of our hearts.
Tim van Noort
Greetings PBHS,
It is with much regret that I inform that my best friend Dion van Noort passed away in Muizenberg on 23th of May 2020. He was 84 years old. We sat next to one another in class from standard 6 days until our matriculation in 1952. Both in Arcadia House. Dion had a fantastic brain, did his undergraduate work at Stellenbosch University, and went onto receive his doctorate from UCLA in California USA in 1964 majoring in the bio-chemistry specifically in the agricultural field. He is survived by 4 sons and his elder brother Gerrie also a PBHS Old Boy. We maintained a close friendship for all the years, and I will miss him dearly.
Kind regards from Alan Cook (Matric 1952)