Joost Versteegde

Joost Versteegde, 71 of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 18th, 2022.
Joost was born on March 24, 1951 to Martinus Versteegde and Johanna (Besselink) Versteegde in the town of Uden, in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. Joost went on to study Hospitality, Restaurant and Business Management at Higher Hotelschool in Maastricht. 

After graduating with his Doctorate degree in Hospitality, Restaurant and Business Management, Joost was offered a job opportunity at the Hilton Hotel in Tarrytown, NY in the mid 1970's. This kick-started numerous years in this line of work for Joost. In 1979, he moved to Stroudsburg to become the General Manager of Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort where he stayed for 14 years.  During his tenure at Shawnee he became close friends with the owner, Charlie Kirkwood and the Kirkwood family, this friendship lasted through the remainder of his lifetime. Joost's relationship with Shawnee didn't end after his 14 years as GM. Throughout the following years he served as the Food and Beverage Manager there, using his Business Management skills to help save the Historic Shawnee Playhouse. Joost managed The River Dance restaurant during the summer and then became the GM of Sam's Sneads Restaurant. Over the years Joost aslo held positions as the GM of The Sheraton Hotel/Howard Johnsons in Stroudsburg, the GM of the Tamiment Resort in Pike County, as well as the GM of Mount Airy Lodge in Swiftwater. Joost helped his best friend/"brother" Casey Snoeren and his wife Mary Rieman manage and run The Amber Steakhouse in Swiftwater for many years. He also did the bookkeeping at Pierce's Landing for his close friends David and Lee Pierce.

In 1976, Joost met the love of his life, his wife, Pamela Jayne (Stafford) Versteegde in Tarrytown NY.. Joost and Pam went on to have one child Kimberly Johanna (Versteegde) Folsom born on September 5, 1990. 
Joost couldn't say he ever fully "retired". He had a very strong work ethic, was very determined, and he loved a challenge!  Joost loved being able to prove  that anyone could always take a bad situation and turn it around to make it a great situation. He loved proving people wrong!  During his free time on Sundays during race season, he loved watching Nascar and The Indy 500 races where he learned what cars, tires and oil were most reliable. He always watched all the Dutch soccer games and The Tour de France. Joost loved and always looked forward to his yearly hunting trips, with a group of his friends the first week of December in Blooming Grove, Pa. He collected antique rifles and loved to go shooting.  He always went fishing during the spring and summer months. Joost was a big animal lover and loved the wildlife. For over 30 years, he took care of the stray cats around his home making sure that they were fed twice a day, and had proper shelter to ensure their safety. Every morning, he would have squirrels knocking on his back door looking for peanuts and he would hand feed them.  All animals were welcomed on his property and animals would naturally trust him. 

Joost was predeceased by his wife Pam (Stafford)Versteegde, father Martinus Versteegde, mother Johanna Versteegde, brother Rene Versteegde, sister Henrica Versteegde, father-in-law V. Raymond Stafford, mother-in-law Helen Stafford, best friend "brother" Casey Snoeren and, close friend Walter Cunningham.
Joost is survived by his daughter Kimberly (Versteegde) Folsom, son-in-law Johny Folsom, granddaughter Annabelle Folsom, sister Anne-Marie Versteegde, sister-in-law Donna (Stafford) Landi, brother-in-law Anthony Landi, many nieces, nephews, and cousins, as well as, his companion of several years Claire Thomas. 

 
A Celebration of Life for Joost will be held at The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort on Sunday, October 30th from 2pm-5pm. Please feel free to email
Joostscelebrationoflife@gmail.com for additional details or questions that you may have. 
 

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