Last week my uncle died, very unexpectedly. He reached the age of 83, so it's not like he was robbed from the cradle or something. But still, he was my only uncle left (I used to have 2).
Last Monday my sister called me, the one I never talk to. And she gave me the news. Aunt and uncle were on their way to bed. Aunt fell asleep before uncle came up, which was apparently normal. But then aunt woke up because she had to visit the facilities and didn't find my uncle so she went downstairs and found him on the floor in the kitchen. He was unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. And there he died, without ever waking up.
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| Willem de Vries, July 27 1932-November 23 2015 |
He and my aunt had been together for 48 years! Never married as the hippies they once were. Uncle Willem was a fun uncle! When my aunt met him he worked for a theatre company, Proloog, quite famous in the Netherlands. He was a very creative man and had so much patience! I remember we were once making a 'death mask' of me but I couldn't go through because claustrophobia kicked in, and he was super nice about it. He was an art teacher to mentally disabled people and great at that. And he used to teach us kids naughty songs :D
He also loved nature. My aunt and uncle had a boat for 15 years and travelled with that a lot. Later they bought a run down house in Chammeyroux, France, and he did that all up himself (with the occasional help of course). And he went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela...all on foot, and up until the Spanish border with his dog, who had her own little backpack.
Uncle Willem was a lovely man. My aunt has been having health problems and uncle took a lot from her hands and took care of her. Now poor aunt is going to be all alone...
We will miss you, uncle Willem!
Sometimes I would like
that yesterday never passed,
because today everything is so much different.
We will miss him so much.
Condolences to aunt Puck, Marga and Pete, Anton and Dikkie and grand- and great grandchildren.
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