Ruth P. Koeze

Ruth Phyllis Koeze, the KBEI’s primary benefactor, passed away on September 2, 2024 after a sudden decline in her health. She was 83 years old.

Ruth was predeceased by her husband of 51 years, A. Scott Koeze. Ruth is survived by her children, Jeffrey Koeze (Katharine), Cynthia Koeze (Jerry Bell) and Kristin Sterkenburg (Ryan). She is also survived by her four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

After their marriage in 1960, Ruth and Scott lived in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, eventually retiring to Northport, Michigan. Ruth was a skilled skier and very competitive on the tennis court.  In retirement she loved spending lazy Sundays fishing on Lake Leelanau.  Ruth was also an avid gardener, an excellent cook and gracious hostess.  At their ranch in Northport, Ruth and Scott raised horses and cared for many rescue dogs and cats over the years.  They enjoyed traveling to Aspen in their early days, and Naples, Florida and Santa Fe, New Mexico in later years.

Ruth and Scott were generous contributors to many charities.  After Scott’s death, Ruth generously supported the expansion of what was then the Business Ethics Center at Seidman. She had a special interest in women in business, as well as the ways in which social capital in west Michigan helped make this region successful. She also was instrumental in supporting the Koeze Stable Garden at The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park, in Traverse City.

We here at the KBEI appreciated her interest in, and contributions to, our work.

Obituary

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About KBEI

The Koeze Business Ethics Initiative (KBEI) examines the role and influence of business in public life with an eye to fostering discussion and collaboration. A program within Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business, the KBEI is a leading resource for businesspersons, students, faculty and administrators who seek to understand the relationship between business, the common good and a life well-lived. The KBEI promotes inquiry into ethical business practices and education with the understanding that much of West Michigan’s success comes from a mindset where businesses strive to remain locally owned, to collaborate and to cultivate philanthropic interests within the community.

The Koeze Business Ethics Initiative maintains a focus on the influence and ethos of locally-owned businesses, but also includes public talks from prominent national thinkers, diverse panel discussions, consulting activities, curriculum initiatives, a faculty lunch series, international conference presentations, research, and student-centered events. Under its current director Professor Michael DeWilde, the Initiative focuses primarily on four areas of inquiry:

• The values and psychology of family-owned businesses;
• Ethics in health care with a special emphasis on ethics at the end of life;
• The development, sustainability and transmission of social capital and its relation to civic well-being;
• The understanding and use of behavioral ethics (moral psychology, neuroethics, etc.) in promoting innovative, affective business education and consulting.
   

KBEI Staff

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