Following a short and intense battle with seizures, we lost our beloved patriarch. Left to mourn his passing are his wife of 43 years, Alice; son, Rick (Rhonda); daughter, Diana (Nick); cherished granddaughter, Caitlin and very special family members Valerie and Melinda.
Art was born in Wageningen, Holland and immigrated on his own at the age of 17, arriving in Saskatoon. He spent a short time working on farms and in mining. However, the west coast beckoned and he set off for Port Alberni—a boom town in those days. There, he worked in trucking and married his first wife, Ann, the mother of his two children.
He moved the family to Victoria in 1960, where he started Reliable Transfer, a household goods moving and storage company. Alice joined the company in 1967. The two became an inseparable team, building the business and eventually marrying in 1976. Art bought land in the Royal Oak area to expand his trucking business and soon realized that this land was far too valuable to become a parking lot for trucks. He sold Reliable Transfer in 1975 and set out to rezone the land in Royal Oak. He was very instrumental in the creation of the Royal Oak Industrial Park and the visionary of the present-day Harris Green area.
Art built and owned many projects in the Greater Victoria area through his construction business, Aral Construction. He was very active in the Urban Development Institute and earned a reputation in business as a tough but fair negotiator. His word was his contract. In 1989 he became involved in First Island Financial Services, retiring from this venture only in April 2018.
Life was not all business for Art. He adored spending time with his only grandchild, Caitlin. He and Alice enjoyed decades of boating in our local waters. His last boat, the Aralee, was a classic 53’ Canoe Cove that took them as far north as Alaska and most boating destinations in between. They enjoyed 23 very happy years on the Aralee and were members of the Victoria Cruising Club for much of that time. Art and Alice travelled extensively and loved cruising the world.
Art was always very grateful for the opportunities that this great country presented to a hard-working, ambitious young immigrant and never missed a chance to be a mentor to others. He was a great supporter of many meaningful causes in Victoria. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Victoria Foundation in Art’s memory. The Art Kool Legacy Fund will support causes of importance to Art and his family. Donations to the Victoria Foundation may be made by calling 250-381-5532, #200 – 703 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1E2.
A Celebration of Art’s Life will be held at 2:00 pm, Friday, March 29, 2019 at Victoria Ocean Point Resort, 100 Harbour Road, Victoria, BC. Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Adrianus Baltus “Art Kool July 18 1936—February 1 2019..
mccall gardens funeral and cremation service
Décès pour la Ville: Victoria, Province: Colombie britanique