Obituary of Nicolaas van der Meulen

Van der Meulen, Nicolaas, at Lisaard House October 4th, 2012 with his wife and daughter by his side. Predeceased by his son, Kevin (1993), his sister, Marijke (2004), and his parents, Andries & Johanna van der Meulen. Survived by his wife, Sandra, and daughter, Dr. Debora van der Meulen & husband Dave Rattenbury. Also survived by his brother and wife, Dr. Dries & Welmoed van der Meulen and by his sister and husband, Anneke & Wim Lindenboom, all in the Netherlands. Fondly remembered by nieces and nephews in the Netherlands, Machteld Kroon (Ard), Nicolette Schellinger (Dr. Alexander), Dr. Niels Lindenboom (Nicole), and by Andries van der Meulen (Gitta) of Washington, DC. Will be missed by 10 great nieces and nephews as well as by extended family in Canada and VT. Born in Kisaran, Indonesia on October 14th, 1940, Nick spent 10 years in Sumatra, including three years in a prisoner of war camp. He then lived with his aunts in Holland completing his education and also qualifying for the national water polo team. He immigrated to Canada in 1962 where he worked with, and became close friends with the Nanninga family of Mount Forest, ON. His family continues to enjoy a close relationship with the Nanninga family. Nick obtained a B.Sc. degree from the University of Waterloo and became a Canadian citizen in 1967. He worked for B.F. Goodrich from 1967 - 1993 and for Guelph hydro from 1993 - 2006 in Information Systems Management. He held executive position at the K-W Naval Association, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 530, and the Poppy Fund. He enjoyed coaching boys' soccer as well as his work with the Air Cadets where he was treasurer of the group committee. Mr. Peter Braid MP just awarded Nick the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for his voluntary service with the veterans' associations. Visitation will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 9th, from 2-4 p.m., and 7-9 p.m. with a Legion Service at 7 p.m. Funeral will be held at First United Church, King & William Sts., Waterloo, on Wednesday October 10th, 2012, at 12:30, with Rev. Bill Steadman officiating. Interment will follow at Memory Gardens, Victoria St. N., and then a reception at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 530, 19 Regina St. N., Waterloo. Donations in memory of Nick may be made to the Lisaard House or Poppy Fund by contacting the funeral home at 519-745-8445 or at www.erbgood.com.