Peter van Woerden, a resident of Geneva, Switzerland, died during the last days of summer in 1990. He was 66 years old.
The 4th of 7 siblings, Peter was born into a long line of studious, devout Christians who had settled in the Netherlands in the 1800s. Among the family professions were educators (Peter's father Frederik and his mother Arnolda, known affectionately as Flip and Nollie), ministers and scholars (his uncle Willem and his father Casper, who had led the family in daily Bible studies for as long as anybody could remember), not-for-profit humanitarians (his aunt Betsie and her mother Cornelia who, without any funding, turned their home into a soup kitchen long before there were soup kitchens), and last but not least by any means, watchmakers (his great-grandfather Willem, his grandfather Casper, and his aunt Corrie, who had been making weekly train trips to the Naval Observatory in Amsterdam for decades to calibrate their watches to the true, exact second). Peter's love and calling became evident early in life when, at the tender age of eight, he heard and identified an off note while listening to a Brahms concerto playing over the radio. His musical abilities were so keen that, by the time he was 18, he had won the position of organist at the family church in Velsen, competing against several dozen older and more experienced men.
Peter's happy youth, however, was overshadowed by rumors of war with Germany. He saw the signs, as did the elders in his close-knit family, and he followed suit in choosing the path of resistance. In 1937, while at the grand birthday party celebrating 100 years of business of his Opa's watchmaker shop, Peter saw his uncle Willem arrive late with his wife Tine, their four children, and a young stranger. The older man supported the younger, and Peter could see that his face had been badly burned beneath his singed sidelocks. Willem told the story, that teenagers from Munich had welcomed Jewish Herr Gutlieber to Hilversum by setting his beard on fire.
In 1940, when Dutch citizens were ordered to hand in all radios following the German occupation of Holland, the family implemented 16-year-old Peter's plan for non-compliance. They handed in a small radio, hid the large one, and lied to authorities that they had no other. Two years after that, in May 1942, Peter was imprisoned for the first time. His crime was that he had dared to play a song at church on the previous Sunday--specifically Wilhelmus, the beloved and forbidden Dutch national anthem. Peter's rendition was glorious, rousing, tearful and touching, and worth every minute he spent in his prison cell. His aunt Corrie noted for posterity that when Peter was released months later, he was dirty and thin, but not one whit daunted.
The rooms above the watchmaker shop at 19 Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem would eventually become a Safe House during World War II. The big radio hidden in the staircase was taken out each night to learn of the advancement of the Allies, in the kitchen hot soup gave hope and strength to an untold number of strangers, and Bible reading and prayer could be heard at any time of the day or night. And when Nazis or Nazi sympathizers stopped by to purchase watches and visit the respectable ten Booms, the Jews hid silently in the Secret Room.
The tall, narrow building called the "Beje" is now a museum. It tells the story of the ten Boom family, of their involvement in the Dutch Resistance Movement, and of the hundreds of Jews they were able to save. Peter's famous aunt, Corrie ten Boom, was a leader in the Dutch Underground and a Holocaust survivor, having lived through concentration camp imprisonments in Vught and Ravensbruck. Miraculously, she was set free in December of 1944 due to a clerical error. (The very next week, all the women in the camp her age were sent to the gas chambers.) In the years since the post-war aftermath, Corrie became a prolific author and a world speaker, publishing several dozen books and traveling to more than 60 countries on six continents. She always preached the same message, that no pit is so deep that God is not deeper still. She was convinced that people would believe her because she had been there.
As for Peter, he survived the war along with his aunt Corrie and his immediate family. He lost his Opa (who died days after their betrayal and arrest), his aunt Betsie (who perished at Ravensbruck), his uncle Willem (who fatally contracted tuberculosis while in prison), and his 1st cousin Kik (who died at Bergen-Belsen on the eve of liberation). Four years his junior, he and Kik had worked in the Underground together, two young men in the prime of their lives trying to save the world. [Biography by genealogygirl]
Maternal Grandfather & Grandmother:
Casper ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 3/9/1944}
Cornelia Arnolda "Cor" Luitingh ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 10/17/1921}
Maternal Aunts & Uncles:
Elisabeth "Betsie" ten Boom {8/19/1885 - 12/16/1944}
Willem ten Boom {11/21/1886 - 12/13/1946}
Hendrik Jan ten Boom {9/12/1888 - 3/6/1889}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom {4/15/1892 - 4/15/1983}
Father: Frederik Jacobszn "Flip" van Woerden
{12/20/1893 - 12/27/1967}
Mother: Arnolda Johanna "Nollie" ten Boom van Woerden
{9/25/1890 - 10/22/1953}
Brothers & Sisters:
Jacob Frederik van Woerden {5/14/1920 - 8/19/1982 }
Casper "Bob" van Woerden {5/18/1921 - 12/31/2008}
Agatha "Aty" van Woerden Poutsma {7/21/1922 - 7/22/2010}
Willem van Woerden {1/7/1924 - 1/13/1924}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Cocky" van Woerden Gubler {9/24/1926 - 7/28/1997}
Elisabeth Johanna "Els" van Woerden Hoolt {5/28/1931 - 7/24/2010}
Spouse: Ingeborg "Inge" Dubler van Woerden {1934 - 10/28/2016}, m. 1955
Sons & Daughters: Danilo, Melody, Sylvie, Damaris & Philippe
The 4th of 7 siblings, Peter was born into a long line of studious, devout Christians who had settled in the Netherlands in the 1800s. Among the family professions were educators (Peter's father Frederik and his mother Arnolda, known affectionately as Flip and Nollie), ministers and scholars (his uncle Willem and his father Casper, who had led the family in daily Bible studies for as long as anybody could remember), not-for-profit humanitarians (his aunt Betsie and her mother Cornelia who, without any funding, turned their home into a soup kitchen long before there were soup kitchens), and last but not least by any means, watchmakers (his great-grandfather Willem, his grandfather Casper, and his aunt Corrie, who had been making weekly train trips to the Naval Observatory in Amsterdam for decades to calibrate their watches to the true, exact second). Peter's love and calling became evident early in life when, at the tender age of eight, he heard and identified an off note while listening to a Brahms concerto playing over the radio. His musical abilities were so keen that, by the time he was 18, he had won the position of organist at the family church in Velsen, competing against several dozen older and more experienced men.
Peter's happy youth, however, was overshadowed by rumors of war with Germany. He saw the signs, as did the elders in his close-knit family, and he followed suit in choosing the path of resistance. In 1937, while at the grand birthday party celebrating 100 years of business of his Opa's watchmaker shop, Peter saw his uncle Willem arrive late with his wife Tine, their four children, and a young stranger. The older man supported the younger, and Peter could see that his face had been badly burned beneath his singed sidelocks. Willem told the story, that teenagers from Munich had welcomed Jewish Herr Gutlieber to Hilversum by setting his beard on fire.
In 1940, when Dutch citizens were ordered to hand in all radios following the German occupation of Holland, the family implemented 16-year-old Peter's plan for non-compliance. They handed in a small radio, hid the large one, and lied to authorities that they had no other. Two years after that, in May 1942, Peter was imprisoned for the first time. His crime was that he had dared to play a song at church on the previous Sunday--specifically Wilhelmus, the beloved and forbidden Dutch national anthem. Peter's rendition was glorious, rousing, tearful and touching, and worth every minute he spent in his prison cell. His aunt Corrie noted for posterity that when Peter was released months later, he was dirty and thin, but not one whit daunted.
The rooms above the watchmaker shop at 19 Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem would eventually become a Safe House during World War II. The big radio hidden in the staircase was taken out each night to learn of the advancement of the Allies, in the kitchen hot soup gave hope and strength to an untold number of strangers, and Bible reading and prayer could be heard at any time of the day or night. And when Nazis or Nazi sympathizers stopped by to purchase watches and visit the respectable ten Booms, the Jews hid silently in the Secret Room.
The tall, narrow building called the "Beje" is now a museum. It tells the story of the ten Boom family, of their involvement in the Dutch Resistance Movement, and of the hundreds of Jews they were able to save. Peter's famous aunt, Corrie ten Boom, was a leader in the Dutch Underground and a Holocaust survivor, having lived through concentration camp imprisonments in Vught and Ravensbruck. Miraculously, she was set free in December of 1944 due to a clerical error. (The very next week, all the women in the camp her age were sent to the gas chambers.) In the years since the post-war aftermath, Corrie became a prolific author and a world speaker, publishing several dozen books and traveling to more than 60 countries on six continents. She always preached the same message, that no pit is so deep that God is not deeper still. She was convinced that people would believe her because she had been there.
As for Peter, he survived the war along with his aunt Corrie and his immediate family. He lost his Opa (who died days after their betrayal and arrest), his aunt Betsie (who perished at Ravensbruck), his uncle Willem (who fatally contracted tuberculosis while in prison), and his 1st cousin Kik (who died at Bergen-Belsen on the eve of liberation). Four years his junior, he and Kik had worked in the Underground together, two young men in the prime of their lives trying to save the world. [Biography by genealogygirl]
Maternal Grandfather & Grandmother:
Casper ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 3/9/1944}
Cornelia Arnolda "Cor" Luitingh ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 10/17/1921}
Maternal Aunts & Uncles:
Elisabeth "Betsie" ten Boom {8/19/1885 - 12/16/1944}
Willem ten Boom {11/21/1886 - 12/13/1946}
Hendrik Jan ten Boom {9/12/1888 - 3/6/1889}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom {4/15/1892 - 4/15/1983}
Father: Frederik Jacobszn "Flip" van Woerden
{12/20/1893 - 12/27/1967}
Mother: Arnolda Johanna "Nollie" ten Boom van Woerden
{9/25/1890 - 10/22/1953}
Brothers & Sisters:
Jacob Frederik van Woerden {5/14/1920 - 8/19/1982 }
Casper "Bob" van Woerden {5/18/1921 - 12/31/2008}
Agatha "Aty" van Woerden Poutsma {7/21/1922 - 7/22/2010}
Willem van Woerden {1/7/1924 - 1/13/1924}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Cocky" van Woerden Gubler {9/24/1926 - 7/28/1997}
Elisabeth Johanna "Els" van Woerden Hoolt {5/28/1931 - 7/24/2010}
Spouse: Ingeborg "Inge" Dubler van Woerden {1934 - 10/28/2016}, m. 1955
Sons & Daughters: Danilo, Melody, Sylvie, Damaris & Philippe
Peter van Woerden, a resident of Geneva, Switzerland, died during the last days of summer in 1990. He was 66 years old.
The 4th of 7 siblings, Peter was born into a long line of studious, devout Christians who had settled in the Netherlands in the 1800s. Among the family professions were educators (Peter's father Frederik and his mother Arnolda, known affectionately as Flip and Nollie), ministers and scholars (his uncle Willem and his father Casper, who had led the family in daily Bible studies for as long as anybody could remember), not-for-profit humanitarians (his aunt Betsie and her mother Cornelia who, without any funding, turned their home into a soup kitchen long before there were soup kitchens), and last but not least by any means, watchmakers (his great-grandfather Willem, his grandfather Casper, and his aunt Corrie, who had been making weekly train trips to the Naval Observatory in Amsterdam for decades to calibrate their watches to the true, exact second). Peter's love and calling became evident early in life when, at the tender age of eight, he heard and identified an off note while listening to a Brahms concerto playing over the radio. His musical abilities were so keen that, by the time he was 18, he had won the position of organist at the family church in Velsen, competing against several dozen older and more experienced men.
Peter's happy youth, however, was overshadowed by rumors of war with Germany. He saw the signs, as did the elders in his close-knit family, and he followed suit in choosing the path of resistance. In 1937, while at the grand birthday party celebrating 100 years of business of his Opa's watchmaker shop, Peter saw his uncle Willem arrive late with his wife Tine, their four children, and a young stranger. The older man supported the younger, and Peter could see that his face had been badly burned beneath his singed sidelocks. Willem told the story, that teenagers from Munich had welcomed Jewish Herr Gutlieber to Hilversum by setting his beard on fire.
In 1940, when Dutch citizens were ordered to hand in all radios following the German occupation of Holland, the family implemented 16-year-old Peter's plan for non-compliance. They handed in a small radio, hid the large one, and lied to authorities that they had no other. Two years after that, in May 1942, Peter was imprisoned for the first time. His crime was that he had dared to play a song at church on the previous Sunday--specifically Wilhelmus, the beloved and forbidden Dutch national anthem. Peter's rendition was glorious, rousing, tearful and touching, and worth every minute he spent in his prison cell. His aunt Corrie noted for posterity that when Peter was released months later, he was dirty and thin, but not one whit daunted.
The rooms above the watchmaker shop at 19 Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem would eventually become a Safe House during World War II. The big radio hidden in the staircase was taken out each night to learn of the advancement of the Allies, in the kitchen hot soup gave hope and strength to an untold number of strangers, and Bible reading and prayer could be heard at any time of the day or night. And when Nazis or Nazi sympathizers stopped by to purchase watches and visit the respectable ten Booms, the Jews hid silently in the Secret Room.
The tall, narrow building called the "Beje" is now a museum. It tells the story of the ten Boom family, of their involvement in the Dutch Resistance Movement, and of the hundreds of Jews they were able to save. Peter's famous aunt, Corrie ten Boom, was a leader in the Dutch Underground and a Holocaust survivor, having lived through concentration camp imprisonments in Vught and Ravensbruck. Miraculously, she was set free in December of 1944 due to a clerical error. (The very next week, all the women in the camp her age were sent to the gas chambers.) In the years since the post-war aftermath, Corrie became a prolific author and a world speaker, publishing several dozen books and traveling to more than 60 countries on six continents. She always preached the same message, that no pit is so deep that God is not deeper still. She was convinced that people would believe her because she had been there.
As for Peter, he survived the war along with his aunt Corrie and his immediate family. He lost his Opa (who died days after their betrayal and arrest), his aunt Betsie (who perished at Ravensbruck), his uncle Willem (who fatally contracted tuberculosis while in prison), and his 1st cousin Kik (who died at Bergen-Belsen on the eve of liberation). Four years his junior, he and Kik had worked in the Underground together, two young men in the prime of their lives trying to save the world. [Biography by genealogygirl]
Maternal Grandfather & Grandmother:
Casper ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 3/9/1944}
Cornelia Arnolda "Cor" Luitingh ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 10/17/1921}
Maternal Aunts & Uncles:
Elisabeth "Betsie" ten Boom {8/19/1885 - 12/16/1944}
Willem ten Boom {11/21/1886 - 12/13/1946}
Hendrik Jan ten Boom {9/12/1888 - 3/6/1889}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom {4/15/1892 - 4/15/1983}
Father: Frederik Jacobszn "Flip" van Woerden
{12/20/1893 - 12/27/1967}
Mother: Arnolda Johanna "Nollie" ten Boom van Woerden
{9/25/1890 - 10/22/1953}
Brothers & Sisters:
Jacob Frederik van Woerden {5/14/1920 - 8/19/1982 }
Casper "Bob" van Woerden {5/18/1921 - 12/31/2008}
Agatha "Aty" van Woerden Poutsma {7/21/1922 - 7/22/2010}
Willem van Woerden {1/7/1924 - 1/13/1924}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Cocky" van Woerden Gubler {9/24/1926 - 7/28/1997}
Elisabeth Johanna "Els" van Woerden Hoolt {5/28/1931 - 7/24/2010}
Spouse: Ingeborg "Inge" Dubler van Woerden {1934 - 10/28/2016}, m. 1955
Sons & Daughters: Danilo, Melody, Sylvie, Damaris & Philippe
The 4th of 7 siblings, Peter was born into a long line of studious, devout Christians who had settled in the Netherlands in the 1800s. Among the family professions were educators (Peter's father Frederik and his mother Arnolda, known affectionately as Flip and Nollie), ministers and scholars (his uncle Willem and his father Casper, who had led the family in daily Bible studies for as long as anybody could remember), not-for-profit humanitarians (his aunt Betsie and her mother Cornelia who, without any funding, turned their home into a soup kitchen long before there were soup kitchens), and last but not least by any means, watchmakers (his great-grandfather Willem, his grandfather Casper, and his aunt Corrie, who had been making weekly train trips to the Naval Observatory in Amsterdam for decades to calibrate their watches to the true, exact second). Peter's love and calling became evident early in life when, at the tender age of eight, he heard and identified an off note while listening to a Brahms concerto playing over the radio. His musical abilities were so keen that, by the time he was 18, he had won the position of organist at the family church in Velsen, competing against several dozen older and more experienced men.
Peter's happy youth, however, was overshadowed by rumors of war with Germany. He saw the signs, as did the elders in his close-knit family, and he followed suit in choosing the path of resistance. In 1937, while at the grand birthday party celebrating 100 years of business of his Opa's watchmaker shop, Peter saw his uncle Willem arrive late with his wife Tine, their four children, and a young stranger. The older man supported the younger, and Peter could see that his face had been badly burned beneath his singed sidelocks. Willem told the story, that teenagers from Munich had welcomed Jewish Herr Gutlieber to Hilversum by setting his beard on fire.
In 1940, when Dutch citizens were ordered to hand in all radios following the German occupation of Holland, the family implemented 16-year-old Peter's plan for non-compliance. They handed in a small radio, hid the large one, and lied to authorities that they had no other. Two years after that, in May 1942, Peter was imprisoned for the first time. His crime was that he had dared to play a song at church on the previous Sunday--specifically Wilhelmus, the beloved and forbidden Dutch national anthem. Peter's rendition was glorious, rousing, tearful and touching, and worth every minute he spent in his prison cell. His aunt Corrie noted for posterity that when Peter was released months later, he was dirty and thin, but not one whit daunted.
The rooms above the watchmaker shop at 19 Barteljorisstraat in Haarlem would eventually become a Safe House during World War II. The big radio hidden in the staircase was taken out each night to learn of the advancement of the Allies, in the kitchen hot soup gave hope and strength to an untold number of strangers, and Bible reading and prayer could be heard at any time of the day or night. And when Nazis or Nazi sympathizers stopped by to purchase watches and visit the respectable ten Booms, the Jews hid silently in the Secret Room.
The tall, narrow building called the "Beje" is now a museum. It tells the story of the ten Boom family, of their involvement in the Dutch Resistance Movement, and of the hundreds of Jews they were able to save. Peter's famous aunt, Corrie ten Boom, was a leader in the Dutch Underground and a Holocaust survivor, having lived through concentration camp imprisonments in Vught and Ravensbruck. Miraculously, she was set free in December of 1944 due to a clerical error. (The very next week, all the women in the camp her age were sent to the gas chambers.) In the years since the post-war aftermath, Corrie became a prolific author and a world speaker, publishing several dozen books and traveling to more than 60 countries on six continents. She always preached the same message, that no pit is so deep that God is not deeper still. She was convinced that people would believe her because she had been there.
As for Peter, he survived the war along with his aunt Corrie and his immediate family. He lost his Opa (who died days after their betrayal and arrest), his aunt Betsie (who perished at Ravensbruck), his uncle Willem (who fatally contracted tuberculosis while in prison), and his 1st cousin Kik (who died at Bergen-Belsen on the eve of liberation). Four years his junior, he and Kik had worked in the Underground together, two young men in the prime of their lives trying to save the world. [Biography by genealogygirl]
Maternal Grandfather & Grandmother:
Casper ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 3/9/1944}
Cornelia Arnolda "Cor" Luitingh ten Boom {5/18/1859 - 10/17/1921}
Maternal Aunts & Uncles:
Elisabeth "Betsie" ten Boom {8/19/1885 - 12/16/1944}
Willem ten Boom {11/21/1886 - 12/13/1946}
Hendrik Jan ten Boom {9/12/1888 - 3/6/1889}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom {4/15/1892 - 4/15/1983}
Father: Frederik Jacobszn "Flip" van Woerden
{12/20/1893 - 12/27/1967}
Mother: Arnolda Johanna "Nollie" ten Boom van Woerden
{9/25/1890 - 10/22/1953}
Brothers & Sisters:
Jacob Frederik van Woerden {5/14/1920 - 8/19/1982 }
Casper "Bob" van Woerden {5/18/1921 - 12/31/2008}
Agatha "Aty" van Woerden Poutsma {7/21/1922 - 7/22/2010}
Willem van Woerden {1/7/1924 - 1/13/1924}
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Cocky" van Woerden Gubler {9/24/1926 - 7/28/1997}
Elisabeth Johanna "Els" van Woerden Hoolt {5/28/1931 - 7/24/2010}
Spouse: Ingeborg "Inge" Dubler van Woerden {1934 - 10/28/2016}, m. 1955
Sons & Daughters: Danilo, Melody, Sylvie, Damaris & Philippe
