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A Role Model for a Well-Lived Life at Reed

Ineke Steele

October 17, 2025, in Portland, Oregon, from the consequences of earlier strokes.

Gezina “Ineke” Frederika Van Lunenburg was born in 1935 to Gerardus Hendricus van Lunenburg and Maria Wilhelmina Frederika Mensink in Haarlem, the Netherlands. She attended elementary and high school there and was a World War II survivor.

Ineke worked at Reed for over 26 years. During her many years in the development office, her handwritten cursive notes were beloved by those who received them. She made Reed a warm and welcoming place and extended that welcome to many faculty, staff, and students at her charming home and garden across Woodstock Boulevard, just a few steps away from campus. There, she raised three children—including Monique Marie Steele ’81, who graduated from Reed with a BA in psychology.

Many in the Reed community have fond memories of dinners at Ineke’s house. She rented one of her bedrooms to Reedies from around the world and maintained a network of worldwide friendships with students like Khristina Haddad ’92, with whom she stayed connected for decades. Both Ineke and Khristina had European childhoods, and reveled in enjoying the best of both worlds. 

Ellen Tilden ’93 remembers Ineke as “an extraordinary woman with more kindness, fun, and a little good mischief than most”; Meisha Rosenberg ’93 writes, “I will always think of her as a role model for a well-lived life!”; Khristina and Meisha remember Ineke’s frequent walks on campus, resulting in some beautiful bouquets in her warm and welcoming home; and Donovan Corliss ’92 writes of his fond memories of Ineke and notes that he ate some chocolate in her honor (Ineke loved good chocolate and all good things in life).

In retirement, Ineke traveled and became an active member of Portland’s tango community. She was predeceased by Monique, her eldest daughter, and is survived by her son, Steven Steele, and her daughter Miel (Michelle) Steele.

Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2026

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