Thousend times thanks!


To all the followers of the blog, to anyone who has been supportive of Frank or us in the last months and especially after his untimely death we want to say thanks from the bottom of our hearts. In the week after his passing we received so much warmth, stories, care and love, hardly describable. To us it was a very precious and valuable week and it was so good to have Frank at home where so many of his friends could visit him. And all the help, stories and info shared in that week led to a beautiful goodbye ceremony on a beautiful sunny autumn day. For those of you who could not attend, or those of you who wish to reread the funeral speeches, we publice them here (in dutch and english) with some pictures in grateful memory of, and tributed to Frank.We will miss him dearly, thanks for being with him and with us, one way or another,

On behalf of my family and his closest friends, Esther

Foto's Frank

zondag 9 oktober 2011

Sad news : Frank died after a severe heart attack.

We are very sorry and sad that we have to inform you that our beloved son and brother Frank van den Bergh died yesterday October 8th. He enjoyed a very happy day with his dear friends in Germany (Wesel), and returned to his home at the end of the afternoon. At home he suffered a severe heart attack and died.

At the end of the afternoon October 9th he will be transferred to the house of his sister Esther: Baljuwstraat 10 in Nijmegen.

If you want to visit Frank to say goodbye you can contact Esther Meijer (phone +0031243882588, or by mail or by leaving a post on this blog).
The adress for correspondence is Baljuwstraat 10, 6525 XM Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

We are aware that Frank has lots of friends everywhere around the world. We will keep you informed of the moment and time to say goodbye to Frank. Please pass on the information of Frank to anyone close to Frank. We encourage you to join our family and his friends in mourning.

16 opmerkingen:

  1. Sad news indeed. My condolances to the family and all his friends.

    --
    Alex.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  2. I'm still stunned after hearing it yesterday. I will not visiting Frank in the Baljuwstraat as my father's passing is still too close (only 4 weeks ago tomorrow), but I will of course attend his final goodbye. Not that he will ever leave us completely, we've shared much too much for that ever to happen.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  3. Jeroen van Emde Boas9 oktober 2011 om 22:18

    Hoewel ik Frank niet persoonlijk heb gekend, heb ik, als nieuwe eindredacteur van het blad Spel!, wel enige keren contact met hem gehad en z'n teksten met zeer veel interesse gelezen.

    Ik begrijp dat hij een bijzonder persoon was.

    Ik wens z'n familie en vrienden alle sterkte toe bij dit verlies!

    Jeroen van Emde Boas
    (Eindredacteur Spel!)

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  4. I was just getting used to the idea of Frank never going to be fully recovered, but I don't think I will ever get used to the idea of Frank really gone.

    Like "zaag" says, there's too much shared to ever forget him. For instance, his 50th birthday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XzPustDFY

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  5. Like Walter I am "stunned" by the news of Frank's unexpected passing. Thus I cannot find the words to describe my feelings. At this moment my thoughts (and those of my wife) go out to Frank's family and other friends.

    Knowing that Frank touched so many lives I am convinced that he will never die completely...


    Chris van Uffelen Bal

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  6. > For instance, his 50th birthday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XzPustDFY

    Big sigh...

    De Zaag

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  7. Beste Esther, Rense en alle anderen,

    Gecondoleerd met dit verlies. Frank's overlijden is onverwacht, en in de eerste plaats een verlies voor zijn familie en vrienden.

    Ik zelf was meer een fan dan een vaste vriend, maar wel een met heel veel respect en waardering voor Frank. Ik zal zijn humor, persoonlijkheid, en ook zijn encyclopedische kennis van wargames en geschiedenis missen.

    Als voorzitter van Ducosim denk ik dat ik bovenstaande ook namens de hele Nederlandse gaming community te mag zeggen.

    In een van zijn artikelen haalde Frank de volgende quote aan: "These are the good old times, enjoy them while you can." Ik twijfel er niet aan dat Frank in de geest van deze uitspraak geleefd heeft. En ik weet zeker dat hij aan de 'joy' van velen heeft bijgedragen.

    Frank, bedankt!

    Serge Bouwens

    PS: ik wil iedereen bedanken voor deze blog de afgelopen zes maanden. Het was leuk en vaak hartverwarmend.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  8. I am really sorry to hear about Frank. He was a very special person, having such a sense of humor and an enormous knowledge. He was a real grognard. He will be greatly missed.

    In sympathy,

    Niek Ederveen

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  9. Torsten Meckel-Hartmann10 oktober 2011 om 20:18

    We from the GHS are shocked and very sad about Franks passing. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.

    He will be dearly missed.

    Torsten Meckel-Hartmann
    Chairman of the Gesellschaft für Historische Simulationen e.V.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  10. Dit is gewoonweg niet te begrijpen. Gecondoleerd met dit verlies. We zullen Frank missen nu hij zijn laatste sprong heeft gemaakt. Wij hebben hem als een zeer fijn mens ervaren, behulpzaam, inspirerend en serieus met een gezonde dosis humor.

    Anton & Rieneke van Ensbergen

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  11. Het is weinig mensen gegeven op zoveel plaatsen in de wereld een leegte achter te laten.

    Ik weet zeker dat Solon hem in een adem had genoemd met Tellos van Athene en Kleobis en Biton van Argos.

    Mijn medeleven gaat uit naar zijn familie en vrienden.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  12. That is very sad news.

    I remember the tour he did for us when we did the Market Garden Megagame in Nijmegen several years ago, he was full of enthusiasm and he certainly knew his stuff. Even those of us who only met him a few times (when I came over for the megagames in the Netherlands) had some fondness for him, he was a good chap who gamed well and understood the subject matter as well.

    James Kemp, CLWG, London

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  13. I visited the wake last night, and I'm very glad I did so. We chatted and laughed about Frank, and it was scary (but in some respects not surprising) to realize how much Frank and I had in common. And suddenly I find I have new friends in the shape of Frank's sister Esther and his brother in law Ron and their sons. (Actually I'm still not quite sure about Ruurd, on the other hand last night I realized the "incident of the wooden gladius and the helmet" was maybe 10 years ago so maybe I should forgive him ;-))

    And a good time was had by all. It's funny though how even when he's gone he manages to connect people. I do not doubt for a second that realizing that Frank is a mutual acquaintance will instantly turn a complete stranger into a friend. As Mathieu said to me, he may have been autistic and contactually challenged from here to Tokyo, but by the sheer force of his personality he built bridges between people.

    De Zaag

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  14. Thanks Jurien for passing on this sad news. My thoughts of Frank are of a very knowledgeable and entertaining man. Yet always with the time for a good laugh and a story to tell.
    Daniel T Shaw

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  15. Familie en vrienden gecondoleerd met het verlies van Frank.

    Ik sprak hem bijna elke Ducosim beurs en herinner hem als een excentrieke, geschiedkundig zeer begaafde, Wargamer.

    Ik zal hem missen.

    Raymond de Waard

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  16. I first heard of this when I received the card. I'm really going to miss Frank's emails - his humor and interest in everything stretched across the world.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen