Karel 'Erik' Brouwer was born on the 8th of November, 1926 in Cheribon, Java, Former Dutch East Indies. He died peacefully on September 21, 2015 in Mission Viejo, California, at the age of 88. He was preceded in death by his wife: Mariane Brouwer, his parents and his three sisters.

His parents, Charles Brouwer and Dina Templeman had 3 daughters and one son. Karel Erik spent his childhood in Cheribon, moving to the Netherlands before WWII.

After WWII he joined the Royal Dutch Merchant Marines, met and married Mariane Mouthaan and with their daughter moved to the Netherlands in 1953.

In 1962 the family moved to California, where he has lived until his death. He and Mariane became US citizens in January 1968 and loved their adopted country. They travelled the world together and many people were 'victims' of his Merchant Marine stories. He loved fishing, gardening, soccer and spending time with family and friends.

Karel 'Erik' Brouwer is survived by his daughter: Astrid Janusz, 3 grandchildren: Marc (wife Shawn), Eric and Kristen (husband Kirk), 5 great-grandchildren: Timothy, Dylan, Christian, Davin and Alyssa, his former son-in-law: Chris Janusz, one brother-in-law, numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews and many friends.

The family will scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks a donation be made in memory of Karel Erik Brouwer to the organization of your choice. Some favorites are:

• Lutheran Church of the Cross, 24231 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA 92637

• St. Jude's Children's Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105

• VFW Post 6024, PO Box 4457, Mission Viejo, CA 92690-4457

• Autism Society, 4340 East-West Hwy, Suite 350, Bethesda, MD 20814

Everyone is invited to Karel Erik's celebration of Life on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 1:00 pm at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 24231 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA 92637. Please join us in the social hall for a reception as we continue to share our memories of Karel 'Erik' Brouwer.