Theodoor (Ted) Elink-Schuurman September 16, 1949 – February 1, 2026

Ted was a man of movement. Born near water, drawn always to wind. Oceans crossed, roads traveled, engines humming, sails catching air, kites lifting skyward as if reminding us that some spirits were never meant to stay still.

He understood momentum-in racing lines and open highways, in the quiet confidence of leadership, in knowing when to hold steady and when to let go.

Ted believed in respect not as an idea, but as a practice. Something lived. Something shown.He taught without preaching, guided without controlling, and led simply by being present. Recognized by his community as a leader.

He loved animals not for what they offered him, but for who they were, companions of loyalty, instinct, and truth. They knew him, and he belonged to them.

To his friends, Ted was steady ground. To those he mentored, a quiet compass.To many, a safe place to land.

And to Diann, Ted was home.A harbor against the storm, a partner in laughter and endurance, a love built not on noise, but on devotion, trust, and deep knowing.

A celebration of Ted’s life is being planned for this summer at Gaea Retreat Center in McLouth, Kansas, where friends will gather to share stories and honor his journey. A private family gathering will follow at a later date, when his ashes will be spread off the coast of Florida, carried into the Gulf of Mexico, returning him to the wind and water he so deeply cherished.

We will remember Ted in the stories we tell, in the pauses between words, in the way we look at the sky and feel him move through it. Ted lived by passion and principle, carried by wind and motion, offering respect as freely as breath. His journey now unfolds in memory and story, and in the quiet spaces where his presence still lingers in sails catching the wind, in waves carrying him home, in fast cars still running, and in kites dancing across the endless sky.