Olga van der Veen

Love Life And Life’s Fine Things

Olga van der Veen of Sandy Hook died October 8. She was born in Amsterdam, Holland, the daughter of Anne Klinkum and Leo van der Veen.

She emigrated with her family to the United States to escape the oppression of war-torn Europe in January of 1940, at the age of 13.

Despite various trips and forays to different locations, she lived the majority of her life in Connecticut, the last 35 years in Sandy Hook, where she raised her two children and always remained close to her mother and stepfather, Anne and Chris Sidenius.

Mrs van der Veen will be remembered by family and friends for many things; her wry wit, her eye-catching stone towers adorning all the environs in which she lived, her winning Scrabble ways, her meticulously handmade cards, her whimsical poetical concoctions she named “Opuscules,” her gift packages so perfectly and beautifully wrapped that no one really dared open them, imaginary fishing with her grandchildren, and her love of the finer things in life, such as shrimp, lobster, fine chocolate truffles, Dutch delicacies, and creamed cauliflower. Moreover, she was a lifelong lover of the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, classical music, and had a fundamental grasp of five languages, knew an incredible number of obscure saying and words (“the better to hurt you at Scrabble with”), and in her last few years became a fascinated and avid computer communicator.

She was predeceased by her mother Anne Sidenius, who died in the summer of 2004.

Mrs van der Veen is survived by her two children, Michael T. Zeerip and his wife, Liz, of Brookfield, and Kim A. Robison and her husband, David, of South Burlington, Vt. She also leaves her three grandchildren, Harlan and Sara Zeerip, and Danika Robison; her helpful and inspiring stepfather, W.C. Sidenius of Sandy Hook; her symbiotic daughter, Molly Renda of Durham, N.C.; her lifelong friend, Jean Saunders of Anchorage, Alaska; phone pal, Michele Montanye; her cousins Peterhans and Erik; and her Internet Dutch/California friend, Riettie.

Her family would like to thank the kind and professional staff of the Candlewood Valley Health and Rehab Center, especially social worker Amy Turrell. Special thanks also go to the New Milford Visiting Nurse Association Hospice team.

All services will be private.

The Newtown Bee        October 13, 2006