Obituaries
Frans van Hekken, 90
Frans van Hekken, 90, of Lancaster, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 16, 2012 at Country Meadows Retirement Community. He was born in Batavia (Jakarta), Indonesia on June 17, 1922, the son of Frans and Sophia (Fakkeldij) van Hekken and the husband of Wilhelmina “Willy” (Leenmans) van Hekken of Lancaster.
Frans served as 1st Lieutenant in the Dutch Royal Air Force during WW II. At the end of the war he met and married Willy in Indonesia and left for Holland, where he earned his degree in nuclear engineering at the Technical University of Delft. Shortly after graduation, he was recruited by RCA as an engineer at the Lancaster facility, where he became head of the Transfer Technology Department. Frans retired in 1983 and spent his next 29 years enjoying life by traveling extensively abroad, participating in weekly bridge games with his friends, sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and spending time with his Family.
In addition to his wife Willy of 66 years, he is survived by the following: His children: son Frans, husband of Jeanne of Millersville, daughter, Karen Ament of Pequea and son Henk, husband of Maria of Allentown. His 7 grandchildren: Brian, Derrick, Laurie, Lyle, Chase, Kori and Jack. His 4 great-grandchildren: Savannah, Isabella, Landen & Dylan. He was preceded in death by his sister, Jopie.
To quote from his Memoires: “In each life there comes a time, when you know what you should have done and it is almost too late to do it”. It was Frans’ wish that no services be held. In his memory, contributions can be made to: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, www.cbf.org under Menu – Give. To place a condolence online, please visit www.SnyderFuneralHome.com. Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory 717-872-5041
Leave a condolence on this Memorial Page
Dear Willy and family,
Not sure if you remember me, but I worked with Frans at RCA many years ago and was in Woman’s Club with Willy. After 23 years in Maryland just returned to Lancaster. Just wanted you to know that during special times of difficulty, one of the greatest comforts is to know that others care about you. You are in my thoughts.
Sincerely,
Donna Longenecker Smoker
to the family of Frans Van Hekken, my condolences for the loss of your father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He was a great man and we’ll all miss him.
Sincerely,
Sheron Davis
Fond memories with Willy and Frans;we send our condolences to the family.
Dave remembers years with Frans at RCA.We remember his hearty laugh!
Dave and Audrey Marschka
We were sorry to read of your father’s death. We hope Mrs. van Hekken is doing as well as is possible. It’s hard to imagine what it might be like to say good-bye to your spouse after 66 years. We know your parents had a long and wonderful life together and were able to enjoy lots of meaningful and enjoyable family time as well as good friends, good fun, and lots of traveling. Our sympathy is with your mother, all of the adult children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We know that all of you have many memories that hopefully will be of great comfort in the days, months, and years ahead. Our thoughts and prayers will include all of you during this time.
Judy and Geoff
To Henk van Hekken,
I was very sorry to learn of your fathers passing and I trust that your grief will soon be replaced by the many good memories of your father. With deepest sympathy for you, your mother and your entire family.
Dale Weaver [CV Class of 1973]
To Karen and family. So sorry to hear of your father’s passing. Rudi’s dad thinks he may have known him when he was at the Technical University of Delft. I wish I could have met him – he sounds like he was a wonderful dad!
Sue and Rudi vanKan
Dear Willy and Family;
Please accept my wife’s and my deepest condolences on Frans’ passing. I was a fellow employee of Frans’ at RCA from 1979 to 2006. Although Frans and I didn’t have much interaction I recall he was deeply respected by all at RCA. His son, Frans, worked in my department, Applications, for some time as I recall.
I did not realize that Frans was born in Jakarta. My wife, Tati, is from Cirebon, Indonesia (Jawa Barat). We have visited Jakarta and her family there many times. I wish that I had known that Frans and you have strong ties there as we could have exchanged may stories and experiences.
Please free free to contact us if you would like to establish contact. We have a number of Indonesian friends living in Lancaster and surrounding cities. Our home phone is 717-824-4115. My wife’s email is: sunda@concast.net. (We’ll be away from 10/4 to 10/16)
Sincerely,
Brian and Tati Miller
