Savaneta – Dutch-born Hugo Groeneveld celebrated his 90th birthday with family members and friends, fundraising for what he considered a great idea.
He was going to give the folks at Marie Stella a party, with some alcoholic beverages and snacks, and he was going to share these happy moments with them via skype, from his home in the Netherlands.
Hugo was a school teacher in Aruba from 1957 to 1969, teaching at Graaf von Zinzendorf School, at John Wesley College, and Mon Plaisir College. He had a great time on the island and fondly remembers his years here. He came back many times since, to visit his daughter Annette, married in Aruba and two years ago he also enjoyed Annette’s 25th wedding anniversary party here.
Hugo’s oldest daughter, Flora de Bie-Groeneveld, also lives on Aruba since 1990 with her family. She is the fantastic care manager at the government institution for the elderly.
Of course, Hugo visited Maris Stella over the years and met some of his former colleagues, who by nature of living in the government institute were missing out on some pleasant extras available on the outside.
And since he thought he had everything, he used his 90th birthday to fundraise towards an improvised party for his friends.
His efforts were successful. At his birthday celebration Sunday September 3rd, in Hertogenbosch, The Netherland, at his son Maurice’s house, Hugo collected a total of Afl. 1500.
Then his daughter Flora used the money wisely, buying koekoei, ponchi crema and Guinness, local beer, juices and soft drinks, treating the elderly to goodies twice, on November 4th and November 26th.
While Hugo was recently diagnosed with some serious health challenges, and his eye sight is failing, he still managed to see on his computer the pictures of the elderly at Maris Stella enjoying the moment.
Kids Michiel, Flora, Annette and Maurice, life-partner Dimphna, grandchildren Philllip, Floris, Maarten and Diederik, great-grandchild Mina Flora, are proud of their patriarch, born in Rotterdam on August 24th 1927, who was always an incredibly strong man, living healthily, a non smoker, and a moderate drinker. Widowed early in life when his wife Johanna Wilhelmina Meyer passed away, he enjoyed the past decades with an excellent second partner, but recently he has been given just several more months to live. Nevertheless he is passionately rooted in life, and enjoys making other people happy.
