In Memoriam (6)

Made with XARA Webdesigner

In Memoriam (6) 2021.

On October 8, 2021 Beate Gündler notified on Facebook that her days were numbered as she was saying farewell to all the André fans around the world. We were shocked to read her message, since we did not know that she was ill. She was able to read our comments and even replied: “I have an ugly, so called mixed cancer tumor. It is rare and there is no therapy for it. It grows rapidly and in the beginning it did not hurt, nor did I have any other indications”. 14 October we received the message that she had passed away.

October 14, 2021. In Memoriam: Beate Gündler, Germany. Her Facebook message on Oct.8, 2021: “Time to say goodbye, my dear friends all over the World. We shared so many wonderful memories over more than 20 years. I don't know if I will have days or weeks until I will go on my final Journey. Thank you for your friendship. Bye bye. Beate.

Wow! We are still in shock! What a brave woman!! We have known her for so many years. She was an André Rieu Rieu fan from the very beginning and attended concerts all over the world. (She once told us she had attended over 400 concerts). Starting in 2005 she managed a website “Merlinswelt-online” which was partly an André Rieu fan website, primarily for the German speaking fans. The last time we met Beate was at the Christmas concerts in Maastricht, December 2019. Beate was a very nice person and an avid fan. We are grateful to have known her, for her kindness, her friendship and we’ll always cherish the memories. She left us way too soon. We wish her family strength in bearing this huge loss. Love from Ruud and Ineke in the Netherlands.

In 2010 André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra recorded the DVD “Roses from the South” on the tropical flower island of “Mainau”, (in the Bodensee: Lake Constance) in Germany. For this occasion Beate wore a very nice flower in her hair. Many fans stayed together at a hotel in Constance. On the picture above: Beate, Ruud and Adele.

2009: Beate in Vancouver (Canada), meeting with Alice Leung (taking the photo), Alice’s parents (Canada) and Jeff and Edwina from Australia. Fans from all across the world meet each other at André Rieu’s concerts!

Picture to the right: Auckland Concert with Reuben and Kathy in New Zealand. 2009. Pictures below: Beate in Maastricht (2014) with Ruth Morgan (USA) attending the fan dinner, and in 2010 with Ineke (NL) checking the banners on the hotel facade.

From Facebook: Sue Berry (USA) also on behalf of the members of the fan group “André Rieu Fans Harmony Parlor”. For fans who knew this beautiful lady, but may not have been on her Facebook page, she said Good Bye to all of us around the world that she had met (on October 8th) telling us she had a short time left. She passed away a week later. I met her at a few concerts and in Maastricht. She was a wonderful, soft spoken woman that all who knew her will miss. I know I will, Rest in Peace Beate ... ♥ Edwina Morgan (Australia): Very sad news. Beate was such a lovely person. I had the pleasure of meeting her in Vancouver. Then a couple more times in Maastricht!! RIP dear Beate!! Condolences to family & friends… Kathy Prater (New Zealand): Beate flew out to New Zealand for the first NZ Auckland concert. That was the first time I met her and I regarded her as a friend. She will be missed by so many. Al Girard (Canada): I met Beate at the Toronto concerts (2007), and the following year she spotted me in Amsterdam. We traveled on the train together to attend the concert at the Amsterdam ArenA as it was called then. Also watched a concert with her from the balcony in Maastricht. She was a wonderful lady, and she will be missed. Alice Leung (Canada): Back in 2009 when we didn't have this HP (Harmony Parlor) page to chat on Facebook, we wrote messages and met friends through the guest book on Sonja's “André Rieu Translations” website. A week before the Vancouver concert, some great front seats were released, Beate quickly bought a ticket and we arranged to meet up at the concert. Wish we had more time together. We'll miss your lovely face, Auf Wiedersehen, Beate!

December 21, 2021. In Memoriam Fernand v.d. Velde (85) from Belgium, Gemma Korthoudt’s husband.

We are very sad to announce the passing by of Nand, Gemma’s husband of 61 years. Nand and Gemma have been André Rieu fans from the beginning and Ruud and Ineke’s earliest fan friends. We learned to know them by the guestbook of Sonja’s translation website (Facebook did not yet exist back then) around 2003. We met them for the first time in person in 2004 during the Kerkrade concert, that was one year before André started the Maastricht concerts. From then they attended all of the Maastricht concerts, always danced to the Blue Danube. Belgium is not far from Holland and we regularly visited them there and they visited us in Holland. We look back on (almost) 20 years of friendship. We live with Gemma now. Fortunately they have a big, warm and close family living nearby, to support her. Our condolences go out to the family and we wish Gemma and the family much strength to bear the loss.

fan picnic in Maastricht, 2006

Watching the sound check from the hotel room.

When the corona restrictions had been relaxed Gemma and Nand celebrated their postponed 60th wedding anniversary with the entire family of about 30 members. Often we had parties with more Dutch André Rieu fans, on the field behind their home. Nand was a great family man and an animal lover. In Summer 2021 we visited them in Belgium and exchanged anti corona hugs. The last time we met them was in November, when Nand was already seriously ill. As from September the cancer had increased, which led to his passing by in December 2021. Farewell Nand, we love you. We’ll miss you.

Married for 61 years.

Click HERE to go to In Memoriam page 7 (2022). Click HERE to go back to In Memoriam page 5.

Nand, the animal lover.