Teade "Ted" Sysling

Teade (Ted) Sysling, of Arvada, passed away peacefully, after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 89.  He took his last breath, while his wife, Rita was singing him a song on February 23, 2022.

Ted was born on March 23, 1932, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands to parents, Conrad and Petronella Sysling.  In 1939, Ted’s parents along with his sister, Sophia (of Santa Cruz, CA) moved to Amsterdam.  In May 1940, war was declared on Holland by the Nazis’ and catapulted the Dutch people into years of war, cold and famine.  In Ted’s book, A Boy from Amsterdam, he details the life of a boy growing up during World War II, including the stories on how his parents provided shelter in the apartments above them and at great risk, as part of the Jewish Underground and even two U.S. fighter pilots who crashed nearby.

Always a good student, Ted excelled in school and went on to learn four languages which aided him considerably in international sales later.  Upon finishing his secondary education and serving the compulsory amount of time in the Netherlands Armed Forces, he took a job on the “New Amsterdam” which was the flagship, at the time, of the Holland American Line of cruise ships.  This fueled his already large appetite for traveling and he sailed to exotic places such as India, Africa and Australia.

Deciding that his roving days were no longer fulfilling, he applied to immigrate to the United States to seek better job opportunities.  In September 1956, his immigration papers were approved but he decided to delay his departure until the New Year. Three weeks before he was to leave, he met the love of his life, Rita Schouwenburg, thanks to a bet with a friend at work.  A romance swiftly developed and before leaving for America, Ted met with Rita’s parents and requested permission to marry her.  In America, he worked very hard and saved his money so that by mid-1957, he saved enough to send Rita an engagement ring and a ticket to join him.  They married on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, thanks to the many generous people who sponsored them and helped with the wedding arrangements.  Later, he enrolled at De Paul University in Chicago where he graduated with a degree in Business.  After many stops along the way, each achieving business success, they moved to Colorado after Ted took a job with Coors International.  They settled in Arvada.

After successfully retiring, he began writing his autobiography, A Boy from Amsterdam, which received critical acclaim.  He wrote another book called Cruptorix, A Frisian Hero about the generations of people in the area known as the Frisian Islands which he successfully traced back his lineage to the year of 1450.  He also pursued his love of painting and joyfully continued traveling.  Additional hobbies included soccer, golf, hunting and fishing.

Ted and Rita have two daughters, Loni (Harold) Koller and Yvonne (Barry) Mercer, four grandchildren (Jillian, Ted, Wyatt and Cole) and one great-grandson (Cooper).

Ted’s larger-than-life personality, love of fun and self-deprecating humor, endeared him to a large group of friends, the Dutch community and their surrounding neighborhood.  He always seemed to be singing a song and those closest to him, will recall, with humor, the two songs he sang most often.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Ted on Friday, April 8, 2022, at Horan & McConaty 7577 W. 80th Avenue, Arvada, CO  80003 at 3:00 p.m.  The family request that in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society or your local hospice organization.