Hendrik Vermeulen

Hendrik Vermeulen of Jupiter, Florida and prior to that of Greenwich and Stamford Connecticut, passed away peacefully in his home on December 8, 2016 with loving members of his family by his side. Henk was born and raised in the Netherlands where he studied business, finance, accounting and languages. In his younger years, he was challenged not only by the great recession of the late 1920s but also by the Nazi occupation of Holland. Henk was later lauded for his tremendous contributions to the Dutch Resistance of which he was an active participant. In 1944, he took over as editor of the local news bulletin after one of its leaders was captured by the Gestapo and later executed in jail. The underground news bulletin was produced daily based on news from the BBC and Swiss radio and then widely distributed under covert and dangerous circumstances.

After the war, Henk turned his attention to his studies of business and finance leading first to a nine-year tenure with the Standard-Vacuum Petroleum Company during which he was based mostly in Indonesia. After serving as a Division Head in the Controllers department with Standard Oil, Henk accepted a position with Philips Electronics back in the Netherlands. From 1955 through his retirement from Philips in 1987, Henk traveled extensively in Europe, North and South America, Africa and the Far East resulting in his promotion to world-wide Controller in 1969. In 1974, he transferred to the United States where he joined the U.S. Philips Trust in New York as Financial Advisor. From 1974 through 1987, Henk served in various roles as Chairman, Director, President, or member of the Executive Team throughout the many public and private operations and subsidiaries of Philips in the United States and Asia.

After retiring, Henk continued his involvement in the business world serving as an advisor and in board positions with Cetem Holdings, Kloster Cruise Lines, Software Security, Inc., Air Express International, and Continental-Tosco. During this time, he was particularly appreciated and loved by the teams at Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc. in Simsbury, CT where he served as a long-time Director, Honorary Director, and Advisor.

In 1985, Henk was honored by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and appointed as an Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau for his contributions to Dutch business and professional interests, for his work during the war on behalf of the Dutch Resistance, and his efforts for Netherlands-New York business relations.

Henk was a member of the Dutch Institute of Certified Accountants, Conseil de Gestion of the UEC, the Netherlands Club in New York, the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in New York, and the Economics Club in New York. He also maintained memberships at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT and The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, FL where he was awarded and feared as the “Most Valuable Plug Ugly” in 2014, 2015, and 2016 by his bocce ball team, the Plug Uglies. Henk was a good tennis player, an advanced bridge player, music lover, and avid reader.

Henk was predeceased by his son Jacob and survived by Maria, his beloved wife of 44 years, his daughter Anke, his two sons, Luurt-Jan and Frans, and his seven grandchildren.

A public celebration of Henk’s life will be held at The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, Florida on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 from 12pm-3pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Loxahatchee Club Educational Foundation or Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation.

Arrangements under the direction of Aycock-Riverside Funeral and Cremation Center, Jupiter, FL.