Gerda Bakker Van De Bunt
Gerda Bakker van de Bunt passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 26, 2026 at home in Santa Barbara, California.
Raised in the Netherlands, Gerda lived a remarkable life shaped by courage, resilience, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for family and the beauty found in everyday life.
Gerda grew up in a small town in Holland and survived the German occupation during World War II. When Holland fell to the Germans, Gerda’s father was selling tulips in America and had no way to get back to his family for two years. When he did get back, he learned the family had to move while he was gone and that one of Gerda’s sisters had fallen ill (and subsequently passed away during the war). Not long after “liberation day,” when the Canadian army entered her town to great celebrations and fanfare, Gerda immigrated to the United States with her family. They began a new chapter far from the home she had known.
After five years in America, Gerda returned home to the Netherlands, where she worked as social secretary for the U.S. Ambassador. This was fortuitous — especially to her children and grandchildren — since this was when she met Wouter van de Bunt, the love of her life.
After a six week courtship, Gerda and Wouter were engaged and married in 1956, beginning a partnership that would span 59 years and result in four children in five years: Dirk, Magda, Annette and Bennet.
In 1959, the growing family moved to Virginia to begin a fun-filled, nomadic adventure which included moves to and from Falls Church, Virginia; Centerport, New York; Beirut, Lebanon; Palos Verdes, California; Berwyn, Pennsylvania; Elm Grove, Wisconsin; and Marina del Rey, California. Gerda embraced each move with remarkable grace. She especially loved the adventure of raising her family in Beirut. When the Six-Day War broke out — which she characterized as a “skirmish” and nothing like the prior war she witnessed firsthand — Gerda and the family had to quickly evacuate with no preparation time permitted. With four kids and a husband in tow, she took the family to Germany and showed the quiet courage and composure that characterized her throughout her life. Gerda turned what could have been a frightening ordeal into a family adventure.
With seemingly remarkable ease, she created a warm and loving home everywhere they lived, always putting her children (and then her grandchildren) first, giving them a sense of security and belonging through each transition. Gerda was deeply loved by everyone who knew her. She had a generous spirit and a warmth that put people at ease immediately, along with a self-deprecating manner that made her easy to talk with and easy to love. She possessed a curious and thoughtful mind, cared deeply about the world around her, and followed politics and current events with the devotion of someone who considered staying informed a daily duty — the Weather Channel included, which she watched with genuine and enduring delight, especially when a storm was forecast anywhere near one of her friends or family. Within the family, she was the “information center” — no one could keep up with the comings and goings of her children or grandchildren quite like Gerda, who took joy in following their social media accounts, even into her 90s, and reporting to each what the others were up to. Every call made to her began with Gerda asking “How’s life?”
Gerda was a passionate gardener, never without flowers nearby. She was a true adventurer and loved to travel. In her later years, she especially enjoyed the numerous cross-country road trips she took with Wouter, following along with AAA Trip-Tiks and reading all about the sights along the way; and she particularly enjoyed her numerous Eastern European extended stays where Wouter volunteered for the International Executive Service Corps. Gerda would stand in bread lines, share stories and make friends with neighbors and local shopkeepers.
Above all, Gerda was devoted to her family. Her greatest joy was her children and their spouses, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. She adored all of them unconditionally. In addition to being survived by her four children, she is survived by two daughters in law, two sons in law, nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Gerda was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Wouter, her three sisters and her twin brother.
Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cottage Children’s Medical Center: https://www.cottagehealth.org/childrens/donate/
