Westerveld Cemetery & Crematorium organised a memorial evening on Friday, 1 November. Many people braved the autumn weather to visit the atmospherically illuminated memorial park, coming together to light candles and remember loved ones.
On 30 October, BinnensteBuiten – the daily lifestyle programme of the KRO-NCRV channel – paid special attention to the very unique natural beauty of Moscowa Memorial Park (in Arnhem, the Netherlands). Site manager André Kruijmer wandered around the park with a reporter in the morning sun and recounted very special stories about both the flora and fauna, and the monuments.
The programme clearly showed that Moscowa is not simply a location for remembrance of a lost loved one, but also a fine spot for walking, enjoying nature and for quiet reflection: https://binnenstebuiten.kro-ncrv.nl/fragmenten/begraafplaats-moscowa-in-arnhem
Henry Keizer, President and CEO of ‘the Facultatieve Group’ passed away completely unexpectedly on the 5th October 2019.
In 1996, Henry Keizer was approached by the then Supervisory Board of ‘the Facultatieve’ and invited to manage and develop the organisation – which was derived from the Royal Dutch Cremation Society (established in 1874) – in line with the international ambitions. Two years later, he became President and CEO of ‘the Facultatieve Group’ which, under his leadership, grew into a leading and well respected international organisation with branches all over the world.
He held the position of President and CEO of ‘the Facultatieve Group’ for more than 20 years. During those years, the Group has enjoyed enormous growth both nationally and internationally.
The number of cemeteries and crematoria within our group, in the Netherlands has expanded, and now includes three crematoria in Germany. Under his leadership Facultatieve Technologies (FT) has also established a strong and respected position worldwide.
Henry Keizer was passionately involved in a number of international organisations and had a particular soft spot for his charitable organisations and was always willing and ready to give advice and guidance to young people.
In Henry Keizer, we have lost a striking man with a charming personality, enormous knowledge and amazing managerial qualities. But it was particularly someone with great energy, enthusiasm, good humour, warm friendship that will be genuinely missed.
We have received countless messages of sympathy from organisations around the world of his unexpected passing and these sentiments are perhaps best expressed in an online forum in the funeral sector which simply said; ‘Rest in peace beautiful person!’.
Late in May, the international Funermostra trade show was organised for the 15th time, in Valencia in Spain. Professionals from dozens of countries all came together there. As the market leader in the field of design, construction and maintenance of cremation furnaces and incinerators, FT was of course in attendance in Valencia. The countless visitors to the very popular FT Iberia stand were brought completely up to date on the latest techniques and possibilities.
During the show, all visitors were asked to make their choice of the most innovative and attractive stand. The ‘green’ and sustainable approach was apparently reason enough for most Funermostra visitors to vote for the FT stand. Vice-President Sales & Marketing Patrick De Meyer is very proud. “The way our stand looks is a precise reflection of our professional keywords: quality and sustainability. Our superior installations have a long working life and are fully automated. The cremation process is constantly monitored, thus keeping the energy consumption as low as possible at all times. Moreover, all our installations comply with the most stringent environmental requirements worldwide.”
Many people find comfort in a memorial object. Comfort because they have something tangible from their loved ones. An urn and a photo, for instance, or a small urn that you can hold. Or a subtle necklace, which only you understand the true meaning of. All crematoria of our division all now offer an online memorial collection. The catalogue provides many different options, from special urns for your home, to bronze sculptures and all sorts of jewellery for a small amount of the ashes.
We understand that choosing such a commemorative item is not always easy. If you would like assistance, please contact a member of the site team. They will be happy to help you.
On 3 July 2019, TroBit held its annual contact day. During the course of the day, TroBit not only showcased its new applications but also discussed individual requirements.
This edition of the contact day took place in Wormerveer in the Netherlands at funeral services provider Associatie Uitvaartverzorging (UNC). The morning sessions saw funeral service providers come together. There was a great deal of interest in expanding the scheduling module. Sessions to further elaborate on this will be organized shortly. Participants were also enthusiastic about the eHerkenning e-recognition system. A pilot is soon to be initiated involving users selected during the meeting.
The afternoon sessions focused on cemeteries and crematoria. During the afternoon, we discovered that there are a lot of user requests for the staff scheduling module. We therefore decided to set up a working group under the leadership of TroBit. Clients using the UitvaartSuite ceremony schedule may register for this working group up to and including 12 July 2019. We will then put the group together.
“We are delighted with how the contact day went. It has brought us even closer to our users, better enabling us to directly anticipate and respond to their needs,” says TroBit’s Stefan van Dorsser.
After a thorough European tender process, this week the City of Cologne chose ‘the Facultatieve Group’ as operator of the crematorium in Cologne. Cologne Crematorium is Facultatieve Germany’s third, after the crematorium Memmingen and the Crematorium Niederrhein Willich. The Crematorium in Cologne was opened in 1937 and carries out around 4,000 cremations per year. The building is listed.
Now that the decision has been taken by the City Council, intensive consultation will take place over the coming months to implement the agreements. The expectation is that the actual transfer of operations may take place as early as in March 2019.
Stefan van Dorsser, director of Facultatieve Deutschland GmbH is delighted: “With over 100 years of experience, six crematoria in the Netherlands and two crematoria in Germany within our Group, we knew we were in with a great chance. We are thrilled and very grateful that the City of Cologne has shown such confidence in us. Our top priorities are always quality of service, cooperation and respect for the deceased and the bereaved. Cologne Crematorium clearly has the potential to become a pioneer in Germany, just like our other crematoria. And together with the City, that is exactly what we will strive to achieve. A great challenge that we relish.”
Westerveld Cemetery & Crematorium will organise a memorial evening on Friday, 2 November. From 7.00 to 8.30 p.m., Westerveld would like to invite you to join us in remembrance, and to light a candle in the memorial park. A sensitively lit route will be set out with beautiful poetry along the way and live music here and there. Everyone is welcome.
Remembering together
“It’s comforting to recall memories and to discover you’re not alone in this,” explains Carla Bosua, Director of Westerveld Cemetery & Crematorium. “That’s why we’re once again organising a memorial evening this year. To give everyone the opportunity for remembrance, but also to enjoy a very special evening with beautiful music, poetry and togetherness. We’ve found it means a great deal to many people.”
Who will you light a candle for?
KRO-NCRV will once again be broadcasting the memorial evening live. During the programme, family members will recount memories of their loved ones and popular Dutch singers will perform comforting songs.
TroBit,– part of ‘the Facultatieve Group’ – participated as an exhibitor during the VTU (Funeral Suppliers’ Association) trade event on Wednesday 26 September in Gorinchem, near Rotterdam.
Great interest was shown in the TroBit funeral software; the various possibilities were demonstrated to the visitors.
Stefan van Dorsser of TroBit: “It was a very successful day; our software is aimed at funeral organisations, municipalities, cemeteries and crematoria, among others. But we have also developed a special package for start-up companies. Many of these new and smaller entrepreneurs were very enthusiastic about the options and user-friendliness offered by the UitvaartLite software developed specially for their purposes.”
VTU trade event
The VTU trade event was organised on the initiative of the VTU (Funeral Suppliers’ Association). For more information: www.vtuvakdag.nl.
In May, FT enjoyed a very prominent presence at BEFA 2018 (10–12 May) in Messe Düsseldorf (Germany). The many thousands of visitors to this four-yearly international trade fair were very interested in the fully automated systems that FT supplies worldwide ensuring crematoria comply with the most stringent of environmental legislation.
