Obituary of Wilhelmien "Willy" DeJong

Wilhelmien “Willy” DeJong, 89, passed away on December 31, 2019, in Ocala, 2019, at her home of 26 years.  She was born on August 31, 1930, in Cirebon, in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) to the late Johan Christoffel and Catharina Elisabeth van Akker.

The war years were difficult for Willy’s family.  Before and during World War II, Willy lived in Sukabumi, 100 kilometers southwest of Bogor, in west Java.  During World War II, the Dutch East Indies were invaded and occupied by the Japanese until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945.  That same month, Indonesia declared their independence from the Netherlands and rioting against the Dutch began a few months later.  In October 1945, Willy’s family evacuated to a refugee camp in Bogor where she met her future husband Johan “John”. 

Her schooling was interrupted as European schools were closed from March 1942 to May 1946.  When schools re-opened, she entered 5th grade at age 15 years and only arithmetic and the Dutch language were taught in the refugee camp.  A few months later, she passed an exam to enter the Hogere Burgerschool (high school) and graduated four years later having learned English, French, and German at the HBS.

Upon graduating in May 1950, she worked as an assistant in the personnel office at a rubber research laboratory.  Willy and began dating John after her father passed in 1951.  They became engaged in 1952 on her 22nd birthday and married on July 4th, 1953.  She left her job when her daughter, Hady, was born in 1954. 

Despite the tenuous situation, Willy remained in Indonesia until her two younger sisters completed their education.  Willy, John, and daughter Hady together with her mother and youngest sister moved to The Netherlands in July 1955 traveling by boat for 21 days to Rotterdam.

While John served in the Royal Dutch Air Force, Willy worked as a Dutch and English stenographer at an engineering firm and maintained the household in Hengelo.  She left work after the birth of their second daughter, Debby, in 1960.

Willy and John did not want their daughters to experience wars as they have.  With Cold War tensions rising in Europe between the East and West, the family immigrated to the US sailing on the “Groote Bear” (Big Bear) to New York City in July 1961.  The family was sponsored by the Methodist youth group in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where Willy raised her family. 

In Hazleton, Willy was involved with her daughters’ activities at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and at school working bake sales, hoagie drives, and concession stands for Debby’s high school band.  She was active at the YWCA, swam and did aerobics.  She with a group of friends also put on belly dance performances for nursing homes and at local festivals.  Willy and John were famous for hosting summer picnics and New Year’s Eve parties attended by more than 80 people.  She was known as “Tante” (aunt) to many young Indonesian immigrants and visiting students.

Willy moved to Ocala in 1992, but did not slow down.  Willy and John met other Indonesian-Dutch couples like themselves (also known as Indo’s) in Ocala and Spring Hill and continued to help at Indo picnics for 150 people and parties where a unique mixture of English and Dutch is spoken and plenty of Indo food is served.

At Oak Run, Willy began painting and joined many clubs.  Together, Willy and John participated in dancing of all types - square dancing, line dancing, country western dancing, and ballroom dancing and attended many social events.  She was a member of Ocala West United Methodist Church.

During her years in America, they visited all 50 states.  Willy also traveled abroad to Scotland and England, Holland, Aruba, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal as well as returning to Indonesia in 1999 and traveling to Thailand and Singapore.  Even after hurting her knee in the late 2000’s, they traveled to the west coast to attend her grandchildren’s college graduations.  She and John also took several Holland America cruises to the Caribbean islands, Alaska and through the Panama Canal.

Willy is survived by her beloved husband of 66 years and caregiver Johan “John” DeJong.  Her loving daughters Hady DeJong (Iain Robertson) of Seattle, WA and Debby DeJong of Belmar, NJ;  Her adoring granddaughter Johanna “JoJo” Robertson (Sam Potter) of Long Island, and grandson Alexander Robertson (Michelle Chan) of San Francisco, CA;  and 1-year old great granddaughter Rowan Robertson;  And many nieces and nephews in California, Canada, Holland, and Indonesia.

A brother Ferdinand and a sister Jeanne in The Netherlands and a brother Theo and sister Christine in Indonesia preceded her in death.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 11^th, at 10:00 AM at the Ocala West United Methodist Church, 9330 SW 105^th Street, Ocala, FL, 34481.