Five Brothers and a War

Postscript: Jan Gijsbertus van Pelt (1924-2011)

the second girl to have the name of their grandmother, Maria Geertruida, and the third to use the name Maria either as a first or middle name. Marie put strong pressure on the boys to name their daughters after her. Through his career, Jan moved from one job to another, though this was often not his fault, as the companies he worked for, even for long periods of time, were sold or went bankrupt. Through the tough times, it largely fell to his wife, Immie, to keep him held together. During his frequent business trips to Germany, he would sometimes find himself in the presence of former German armed forces officers, and he was certain they were from the SS. While that brought back some of his awful past, he worked through his feelings, as business was business. He found it easy to get along with virtually anyone, and his German and English language skills were strong assets that helped him in his business and private life. One of the companies he worked for over an extended period of time was Wilson, which sold household appliances on a wholesale level. It was a serious blow when this British company was sold several times, and then downsized, eliminating the position Jan held. Eventually, he started his own little company, where he found a niche market selling second-hand gas meters. He continued that little business until his old age prevented him from continuing. In between, he and Immie moved to Eindhoven, where Jan was offered and accepted a job selling Fiat cars at a dealership run by his sister-in-law’s brother, Dick van der Lecq.

van Pelt

Clockwise, from upper left: Jan, Ankie, Marja, Immie.

Ankie, Marja and Immie.

Five Brothers and a War

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