Willem T. M. van Rooy

Missing you a lot Opa. Love you so much.

-Isa

Hi Wimpy!!!!! It´s been awhile since I´ve written. I´m just sitting here missing you. I just have the memories of us and our love that I will always cherish. I always enjoyed just being with you even when your disabilities kept you home bound.
It was just the two of us during covid. We never left the house or had anyone over and groceries were delivered to our doorstep. We shared a lot of time together and it was wonderful. That is why it is so hard being without you. I miss us. We were one together and I am missing my other half that can NEVER be replaced. You were and always will be the love of my life. I was listening to John Michael Montgomery´s song, "I Swear". It reminded me of you, because even with your poor eyesight you always told me I looked beautiful. You made me laugh and I would say, "I just woke up. Who looks beautiful when they first get out of bed?". I guess you can say that´s love. You my love, we´re always beautiful to me. I love and miss you!!!!

Hi Wimpy! This past week was really hard for me. I was so used to you always taking care of me because you were the stronger one before your diseases took over your brain. Even to the end you were such an intelligent man. You were just lost for the words you needed to say. But I really needed you. It hurt so much knowing I didn´t have you to strengthen me. Even when you were weak you were always able to strengthen me mentally. You always took my fears away. Wim I miss you so much. It still hurts losing you. The kids all help me in their own individual way that they can. Melanie leaves her 8 children to help me when I have doctor appointments or not doing well like this past week. She spends the night and Tim and the older kids help with the younger ones. I don´t have to tell you how lovely her family is. T J still ask for you. He wants Jesus to let you come back to us. LOL
He is so darling. Amelia Rose was a baby when you left us. She is so beautiful. Isa and Ellie have grown into beautiful young ladies. Riley is another Mumsy. She´s just as beautiful. Anyway my love you will always be their Opa. God Blessed us with 9 grand babies. How awesome is that. Ellie is graduating from high school in May. Isa is taking online college courses and will be moving on to to attend a 4 year college. The five boys are in sports and theatre. In fact the whole family is in theatrical. They can all sing and perform. I love you so much my darling Wimpy.

Thinking of you always. 2024 is a couple of days away. I cannot believe another year has gone by and I face it again without you. Jeff is gone. We miss him. Jess and Riley are moving forward without him but they are really hurting. It´s so sad that he passed so young. You know our Jessica. She takes it hard. She really loved him. She always cared for him and always checked to make sure he was doing ok. He was a great loss to our Jessica and Riley. It´s so hard on them. We had a celebration of life for Jeff. It was so beautiful. People he knew wrote such beautiful things about him. There were beautiful videos of him and Riley. He really loved his little girl. I cannot understand why. I guess we never will. I miss Jeff. I really loved him. What a loss. We all loved him. Love you always and forever! S

Hi Wimpy!!!! I guess you know already. Our dear friend is with Jesus now. It´s hard to believe he is gone. He was an awesome prayer warrior. He was a good friend to us. Wim I need you so bad. It´s so lonely without you. All I can do is wave to your humongous photo on the piano and blow you a kiss or tell you how much I love you. I can be surrounded by people but inside I am not whole. I´m empty without you. I just exist. Yes the kids and grandkids love me and I love them so much but when I´m home I´m alone again. Your absence is unbearable. You were my everything Wim. I didn´t think you would leave this early in life. But you were the last male in your family to pass. So thinking back your dad passed at 48 and I think your brother was 58. Thst definitely was way too young. So sorry for your mom and your sister in law. I thank God for the precious years he gave us together. Wim I love you so much. That will NEVER change. My best memories were of you and I playing in the water in Galveston and then later in your 60s at Freeport I loved Every time you popped out of the water your hair came over your face and you would push it away and pinch your nose. I can still picture you doing that. You looked so beautiful That´s because you were a beautiful man. I will always remember "us" . We were so in love and you made me feel so special. I still kept the parking sticker that allowed us to park on the beach. It´s still on the windshield. I love you. Wimpy. Always and forever your Schatje

Dearest Wimpy! Thinking of you all day today. Thinking of our love and how wonderful you were to me. It´s so hard being without you. I never ever thought you would go so early in life. You were such a strong man. There was absolutely nothing wimpy about you. You had such beautiful hands. I loved looking at your hands. I loved hearing you talk. I loved hearing you reminisce about rugby, surfing, racquetball, and your college days and good friend Keston zWilliams. I´m so happy you were able to reconnect with Keston before you passed. Anyway my darling I cannot help being so in love with you. You were and will always be my everything. I´m so lonely without you. I will remain married to you for the rest of my life. Absolutely no one could ever come after you. You were my true love. My first real love and my last. That will never change. Please visit me in my dreams. I´m waiting to see you in my dreams and ONLY in my dreams. I love you always and forever. Your Schatje!!!! . By the way do you sleep or are you always awake?

Daddy,
I miss you so much it hurts. I can't believe it's been a little over a year since you left us. I wish I could say "Hey Pops!" and hear you say "Hey Mops!" just one more time.

We all got together on the one year anniversary of your passing and shared wonderful memories of you. We laughed. We cried. We all miss you dad. Isa sang so beautifully for you. I wish you could have heard her.

I love you daddy. I could not have asked for a better daddy. You were ALWAYS there when I needed you. I need you now and I wish so desperately that I could talk to you. You have a left a huge hole in my heart now that you are gone. It's just not the same without you Pops.

Dearest Wim: It´s been a little over a year now. I still cannot believe the love of my life is gone. I miss you so much. I will never forget us. You were a wonderful and dedicated husband and daddy. Your grandchildren still talk about their Opa. TJ wants Jesus to send you back to us. We all miss you. We gathered around the fireplace where your ashes are resting. We each shared a wonderful story about you and shared a video of our life together. Our granddaughter (Isa) sang our song "Fools Rush in". Yes the one she sang when we renewed our wedding vows 6 years ago. It was an awesome day of fond memories. Everyday I tell you I miss you so much and my love for you is forever. I still cannot believe you are gone. You will always be the love of my life. Please visit me in my dreams. Your Schatje forever

Hi Wimpy! Thinking of us . How we met. Our talks at JoJo´s. What we did and how friendship led to marriage. I love you Willem. I miss you so much. It is so hard to believe you are gone. What am I going to do without you. You were my life. I always told you that no matter how hard it was for me to take care of you it was better than life without you.

Wim you were everything to me. I´m just laying here crying out for you. Little Mona Lisa comes to me and tries to comfort me. She is so sweet. I know you would love her. You had such a great love for dogs. The kids and I were remembering how every time you went out of town we added a new dog to the family. Good thing we sstopped at 5. You were such a good sport. You never were upset. You just accepted the new family dog. Oh Wim, you were such a precious gem.

It really is quite difficult to let go of us. I can´t let go. I can´t . I´ll hold on (to us) for the rest of my life. You and I were literally ONE. That is what God intended for a husband and wife to be. I can´t move on without you. I love you Willem. I can´t believe I´m without you. It´s very painful to be without my very best friend. Love you always and forever, Schatje

Hi Wim! It´s been 7 months since you left us. I can´t believe you have been gone that long. I miss you so much. I want to see you and hold you once again. I´m so empty without you. You were my best friend always. You were the best . I admired you and always wanted to be like you. I don´t know if I ever told you how much I admired everything about you. That´s what drew me close to you. I put you on a pedestal. You my love were my everything. I don´t know how to be without you. It is very hard. I cry every night for you. I am so empty. I NEED you. I cannot believe you are GONE. You are GONE. I can´t stand being without you.

Jennifer took me to the SPCA two weeks ago. I was so lonely. I adopted a dog. She was lonely too. She needs a lot of affection. She is so sweet. Her name is Mona Lisa Marie (Marie had to be in there - family name of course) van Rooy. She´s a British bulldog but she looks more like an American Bullie. She is so sweet and lovable. I cannot believe I adopted a bulldog. Funny huh! I guess God stirred my heart for her. We both need each other.

Hey our song is playing right now "Can´t Help Falling in Love with You". Our first granddaughter Isa sang it when we renewed our wedding vows . Her voice was so beautiful. That day was so beautiful and magical. We were both so happy. You were able to walk with me down the path without assistance. Wim it hurts to know that we will never be together as a family. That part of our life is over. I always thought that when we died our lives would continue together in Heaven. I found out in Grief Share meeting that we would recognize each other, but not like husband and wife. That´s so hard for me to comprehend. At least I can take comfort in knowing that I will see you again in Heaven. I love you my Wimpy. Your forever wife and Schatje

Love letter to my darling husband:
Wim it´s the New Year 2023. It was so very hard for me to face the coming year without you. I feel like I left you behind in 2022 and it´s an awful feeling. My love I miss you so very much. You were and always will be the LOVE OF MY LIFE. That will never change. I miss us together enjoying our life. I remember us from start to finish. All the goodness and love you brought to my life. Nothing could ever overshadow our life together. You were a good father and husband. You spoiled me in every way. It was hard for you to say no to me so you never did. The past 23 years were the best years of our life even with your illness. I was happy just being with you. When you started doing Bible study and attending alpha classes with me in England you were a changed man forevermore. It was wonderful. I miss you so much my Wim. I don´t know how to move on without you. I thank God for all the years He gave us together. I wish you were still with me my love. I take comfort in knowing you are with our Heavenly Father and are no longer suffering. Hugs and Kisses my forever love. I´m sorry I didn´t realize you were actually dying this past year. I didn´t read up on what to look for . I was just cheering you on to eat, drink, and exercise.

September 5, 2022

Wim my love , I sit here thinking of you and our life together. You were and are my everything. I loved you from the start. That will never change. My heart went with you. No one will ever come after you. I pledged my life to you "till death do us part and thereafter".
I still cannot believe you are gone. I feel like you are on one of your business trips and I will see you soon. I miss you my love. I have been waiting for you to visit me in my dreams. I know you are with our Lord and Savior. We all saw the evidence and I hold on to that. As you know we were all here with you and stayed until you made the transition. It was so beautiful but sad at the same time because your time here with us was over. We rejoice because you are no longer suffering. You are completely healed and walking once again.
I love you my darling Wimpy. Always and forever yours. Schatje

I miss you so much my love. Everywhere I go we´ve been together and the memories just overcome me. Willem I don´t know how I will get along without you by my side. We´ve been together 41 years. I cannot believe you are gone. I miss you so much. I couldn´t accept that you were dying. I just knew you were going to get better. I wanted to grow old with you and enjoy the last years of our life together. I´m so sorry you had such a difficult ending. You never complained about your declining health. You only complained about the pain you experienced from the bed sore. You were such a strong man even to the end. Thank you for all the years together. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for loving me and all the kids. Thank you for being my best friend. Most importantly thank you for spoiling me and never saying no. Apart from God you were the ROCK and foundation for this family. I miss you so much. I will love you always and forever. You were and will always be my Everything. I will see you again in Heaven.

Opa I will never ever forget you and your laugh. I´ll always remember how we played puzzles together. I love you so so so so much. I will miss you. Love, Riley

Opa!!! I miss you so much. I will never forget your laugh, smile, and of course your hugs and kisses. I remember when I was little, back when we still lived in Sugarland, every Sunday morning you would bring Ellie and I donuts before church. I knew that right when Thomas the Train came on that tv you would be walking up to our door with that big bag of donut holes and chocolate milk! I would also never know how to cut my pancakes properly without you showing me at Denny´s on that brunch date we had when we spent the weekend with ya´ll. You made me practice cutting my food the whole afternoon, until eventually I looked just like you. Every time I pick up a fork and knife I think of that moment. Thank you so much for coming to all my shows, all of my birthdays, and for just being an incredible OPA. I love you and you will forever be in my heart.

Your First Grandbaby,

Isabella

Willem van Rooy was a wonderful man. When you were in his presence you could feel goodness emanating from him. My favorite memories of him were when were alone talking at various times over the years, just the two of us, and our conversation would turn to a subject that took him back to fond memories of an event or something he once loved to do. In those special moments, his eyes would light up, he would become animated, the tone and volume of his speech would change, and at that moment you could literally feel the passion he had for the people and the things that he loved. I did not have the honor and pleasure of meeting Willem until approximately seven years ago, and my respectful impression was that he was a fairly reserved and quiet fella. So those special moments when he would light up were, just that, special and magical. I wish I had known him back in the day. I will miss him, as will so many others. Truly a humble, great man, and undoubtedly a blessing to anyone who was fortunate enough to cross his path or, better yet, fortunate enough to get to know him. May the wonderful memories of Willem surround you and give you strength in the days, months, and years ahead. God bless you and the one, the only, Willem van Rooy.

Hey Opa! I wanted to let you know that you were such an amazing, loving, and compassionate grandfather. Your silly jokes about Grey Poupon always brought a smile to my face. Every time you visited me at my house when i was 6 i remember that i would climb up your legs and do a flip. We would do it twice a day when you were over, one when you first arrived at my house and one right before you left. You were an amazing grandfather and i hate saying goodbye. I love you so much always and forever. -Ellie

What an amazing man. So much I didn´t know about my uncle. A life well lived indeed!

Prayers offered for all the family. May God bless you always.

Jennifer, your sister composed such a beautiful tribute to y'all's dad. He was an amazing man and it is clear he loved his family and gave y'all a wonderful life. I feel like I know him from reading this. May you all feel the comfort and love of our Heavenly Father and know that your Dad is healed and whole with Jesus by his side. Take care. Becky

What a beautiful tribute. Sounds like a pretty cool guy! I hope your memories bathe your family in peace and love. Many prayers.

Dear Sylvia and all the Van Rooy family,
It was with sadness that we received the message that Wim had passed away.
My dad Kees often spoke of Wim and I first meet him when he came to visit my parent here in Canberra when he was on business trip to Australia. It was great to meeting another Van Rooy and share family stories over coffee and dutch goodies.
A Mass was celebrated for Wim and the family at my parish church St John the Apostle Kippax last Sunday evening, 24 July.
May the Lord continue to bless you during this sad time.
Blessings Sabina

I am Uncle Wim the cousin, Sabina Van Rooy. My father Kees Van Rooy his uncle, often spoke of Wim and his family in the USA. I can remember Wim coming to visit my parents here in Canberra when I came to Australia for business. we had a great family celebration with coffee and dutch goodies.
A Mass was celebrated for Wim life and his family at my parish St John the Apostle Kippax last Sunday evening. May he rest in peace in the loving hands of the Lord.
Blessings Sabina

I am Uncle Willem niece and remember him fondly when I first meet him in 1970 in Holland and then again when he came to see my parents one last time. My Opa, My Dad and your Willem were all wonderful Christian men, and have all had a great positive influence on their families.
I hope in time your grandchildren will say remember when Opa said!!!
May the Lord give you peace, Louise

Dear Sylvia and all the Van Rooy family,
Please accept my heartfelt condolences for the passing of Wim. I was very saddened to hear that he had passed away. He is now at peace in God's loving care with his parents, brother and his 2 uncles - Theo and Cornelius.
Whilst I never had the good fortune to get to know him on a cousin level, from what I know about Wim he was a kind, lovely, gentle Christian man - very much like my dear Vader.

I pray that once the great sadness begins to somewhat ease, as a family you will begin to share the many joys and happy times together.

Australia like the USA is great places - lovely that Wim was able to spend time here too.

Kind regards and God's blessings to you all.

Wilhelmina van Rooy
Eldest daughter of Cornelius (Kees) and Mieke van Rooy