Jeanine V Meijers

Our beloved Jeanine was born on February 8th, 1940, in Delft, The Netherlands, shortly before WWII, to Jannie and Jaap van der Heijden. In the first days of the war, bombs severely damaged her house, and later her father had to flee and go ‘underground’ in France for several years to avoid deportation to a slave labor camp. Life got better during her school years when they went camping for weeks during each summer vacation, but took a turn for the worse when at the age of only 16 she tragically lost both her father and her boyfriend in two traffic accidents a few months apart after she graduated from high school.

Because she was an only child and often had to entertain herself, reading books was not only a comfort, but a needed escape and sought-after source of inspiration. It turned her not only into a voracious reader, but also an eager learner who practiced what had stayed with her since her early youth: the fact that you can never be prepared too much for what might come your way. And with a never-ending interest from art to cooking, and from foreign travel to high-tech company management, she collected and studied hundreds of books in advance to be the best she could be for any of her many ventures.

While attending Pittman College in The Hague and still living with her mother in Delft, she met Frank Meijers in 1957 (who studied at the Delft Tech University) and they got married 2 years later in 1959 when Jeanine earned her degree in International Business Administration (four languages], and Frank graduated as chemical engineer. And as if that were not enough excitement for one year, in December Jeanine gave birth to their son Victor, just weeks after Frank had entered the Dutch Air Force to become Air Traffic Control Officer for 6 years. After being stationed at Eindhoven AFB during the last years of the assignment, they happily welcomed their daughter Eeke in 1965. And when Frank was offered later that year a job as civil air traffic controller at Aruba airport, they decided to move to the West Indies, a part of the world that had held Jeanine’s interest since childhood.

With Frank’s time in Aruba coming to an end 3 years later, they decided to take a leap of faith and pursue new opportunities as permanent immigrants to the United States. The family initially settled in Massachusetts, but then lived in different states for the next 10 years including New Hampshire, Nebraska, Minnesota, California, and finally made their home in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1978. Because Jeanine was adaptable and had varied interests, she made the most of each move. In each new state, she would apply to the local college/university, taking classes in psychology, theater, business administration, real estate, interior design, comparative cultures, and anthropology, ultimately earning her second BA in Social and Cultural Anthropology at ASU. Family vacations were centered around traveling through each state by car and visiting state parks, museums, and other fascinating points of interest along the way.

Her work experience was just as diverse as her interests. She had her first job as an administrative assistant at a tea trading company in Rotterdam, sold real estate in California and Arizona, and was Vice President of Luctor Corporation, a high-tech business she and Frank founded and owned in Phoenix. She was a life coach/professional consultant where she helped women to redirect their lives by “Changing Lanes”. If they could conceive it and believe it, they could achieve it! She owned several interior design/contemporary art galleries in Scottsdale Art District and did Forex trading. She said she never pictured herself retiring because she loved “the thrill of continually learning and working with people.”

She also had a love for adventure and cooking. The first meal she made as a new bride for her husband was – apparently - a less than appealing dinner, which made her earn her first cookbook. She vowed never to make a bad meal again. So, for the next 60 years, she collected recipes and cookbooks by the hundreds and prepared dishes from all over the United States and the world for family and friends. One of her favorite pastimes, she said, was “sitting around the dining room table with great people, good food, and interesting conversations.”

She also enjoyed visiting and learning about the cultures and traditions of other states and countries, always studying their unique details beforehand. So, she and husband Frank traveled through many of the West-European countries, Venezuela, New Zealand, Kenya, and all over the United States including Alaska and Hawaii. She had a particular love for Native American art and culture, visited and learned about various tribes and reservations throughout the southwest, and gathered a diverse collection of artifacts and jewelry, mostly purchased directly from the artist and therefore extra special to her.

Later, while Alzheimer’s stripped her memories of the many joys and accomplishments in her life, she still maintained her love and concern for those she interacted with. She always asked how you or your family members were doing, what exciting things were happening in your life, and if you were happy. At her last care home, she said “Hi” to everyone she passed and made sure everyone was doing OK and being taken care of. Though her greatest fear was not having enough time to accomplish everything she wanted to in her lifetime, she clearly crammed in as much learning and living as she could in those 83 years! Luckily, her passion for learning, cooking, and compassion for others was passed onto the next generation of kids and grandkids. Jeanine is survived by her loving husband of 64 years Frank Meijers, her exceptionally supportive children Victor (Pam) Meijers and Eeke (Sherman) Mohler, and her grandchildren Courtney (Nick) Boyer, Stephanie (Kenzie) Sutherland, Alexander (Kara) Mohler, and Benjamin Mohler, who all remember their Grandma JJ fondly.

The family wishes to thank the Winston Park Home and all others who bestowed their loving care during Jeanine’s final days. A private celebration of Jeanine’s life will take place on Saturday, October 14th, at the Fountain of the Sun Administration Building, Poolside Room from 10:00 - 12:00.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be left on the Dignity Memorial website at link: https://www.DignityMemorial.com . In lieu of flowers, please consider a Tribute Gift to the Heard Museum she cherished, in Jeanine’s name.