Walter served in the Army Air Corps during WWII with the 856th Bomb Squadron. He was an airplane mechanic in England. His citations included a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, a Distinguished Unit Badge, and a Good Conduct Medal.
Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem Walter, a resident of Everett for many years, was born in Assen, The Netherlands, on March 30, 1917, and passed away December 1, 2005, in a car accident. He was 88 years of age. He is survived by his loving wife, Jennie, whom he married on September 19, 1947. They were married for 58 years. He is also survived by a daughter, Delores Ryan, her husband, Roger, and their two sons, Walter's grandsons, Daniel and Matthew, all of Spokane, Washington; a sister, Sadie Visscher Sr.; and nephews Ken Visscher, and Herman Visscher, and his wife, Sadie. Walter served in the Army Air Corps during WWII with the 856th Bomb Squadron. He was an airplane mechanic in England. His citations included a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, a Distinguished Unit Badge, and a Good Conduct Medal. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, December 23, 2005, at the Sunrise View Convalescent Center, 2520 Madison Street, Everett. Military honors will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, December 27, at Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Everett Senior Center, 3025 Lombard, Everett, WA 98201.
Daily Herald, The (Everett, WA) - Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Driver had bouts of confusion
Daily Herald (Everett, WA) - Saturday, December 3, 2005
Walter Van Heukelem never let his age stop him from driving between the assisted living center where he lived and the house he had recently left.
On Thursday, however, the 88-year-old Everett man got behind the wheel of his 1995 Ford Contour and ended up driving the wrong way on northbound I-5. He crashed head-on into an oncoming car, and both he and the driver of the other car died.
Van Heukelem's family doesn't know where the former mill worker was going, unless he was trying to check on his house, which he helped build in 1985. They also don't know how he ended up driving south in the northbound lanes.
Family members described him as a quiet, hard-working man, and a good husband to his wife of more than 55 years. He didn't drink or smoke, they said.
However, Van Heukelem also struggled with bouts of frustration and confusion, some family members said, part of the reason he had moved into Sunrise Nursing Home in Everett a month ago.
"We talked to him and told him he should not have been driving," said Silver Lake resident Bud Vrieling, 78, Van Heukelem's second cousin.
The fatal accident occurred just north of the 300th Street NW exit on I-5 north of Stanwood about 1 p.m. Thursday. The nearest offramp where Van Heukelem could have entered the highway was Starbird Road, about 21/2 miles north.
The other person who died was 27-year-old Jeremiah D. Watkins of Anacortes. His family could not be reached for comment.
Witnesses are helping Washington State Patrol investigators piece together what happened.
A Canadian truck driver saw Van Heukelem attempting to turn around in the middle of the three northbound lanes somewhere between the crash site and Starbird Road, State Patrol trooper K.A. Leary said.
Another man who was driving southbound on I-5 south of Starbird Road said he paced Van Heukelem at near the 70 mph speed limit as the elderly man drove against traffic.
Still, investigators aren't sure where he entered the highway, or why he turned around. Investigators are also baffled as to why no one called 911 to report someone driving in the wrong direction.
"Generally, when we have someone going the wrong way on the freeway, we get multiple reports," Leary said.
No skid marks were found where the two cars collided. State Patrol trooper Dan Anderson said it's possible the two drivers didn't see each other, because it can be hard to tell when a car is moving directly toward you from the opposite direction.
"What really makes it difficult is that the closing speed is so incredible with the two cars going that fast," Anderson said. "If you're dividing your attention with anything else, it's easy to see how this could happen to somebody."
Meanwhile, Van Heukelem's relatives are saddened by their loss. They feel even worse for Watkins' family, they said, and for the young man who needlessly died.
Van Heukelem had just finished making his funeral arrangements on Monday, said Vrieling, executor of his estate.
The tragic accident has made Vrieling, 78, consider how much time he has left behind the wheel.
"I can understand in my driving that I've had to be more attentive to things, and I think that's where Walt was," Vrieling said. "But he was driving like he was the only car on the road."
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or [email protected].
He has two sisters:
Hillechien Van Heukelem Balkema
23 June 1909 Rasquert, Groningen, Netherlands
1 January 1960Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Sietske "Sadie" Van Heukelem Visscher
13 April 1911 Rasquert, Winsum Municipality, Groningen, Netherlands
2 August 2006 Everett, Snohomish, Washington, United States
FAG memorial #21296320
Brief Life History of Wolbert Walter
When Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem was born on 30 March 1917, in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands, his father, Harm Van Heukelem, was 38 and his mother, Geertruida Hamming, was 37. He married Jennie Dykman on 19 September 1947, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Snohomish, Snohomish, Washington, United States for about 1 years. He died on 1 December 2005, in Snohomish, Washington, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, King, Washington, United States.
This life history was computer-generated. It is based on the information on the Details tab. To change it, edit the data on the Details tab.
Family Search profile G4CP-XJD
Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem Walter, a resident of Everett for many years, was born in Assen, The Netherlands, on March 30, 1917, and passed away December 1, 2005, in a car accident. He was 88 years of age. He is survived by his loving wife, Jennie, whom he married on September 19, 1947. They were married for 58 years. He is also survived by a daughter, Delores Ryan, her husband, Roger, and their two sons, Walter's grandsons, Daniel and Matthew, all of Spokane, Washington; a sister, Sadie Visscher Sr.; and nephews Ken Visscher, and Herman Visscher, and his wife, Sadie. Walter served in the Army Air Corps during WWII with the 856th Bomb Squadron. He was an airplane mechanic in England. His citations included a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, a Distinguished Unit Badge, and a Good Conduct Medal. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, December 23, 2005, at the Sunrise View Convalescent Center, 2520 Madison Street, Everett. Military honors will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, December 27, at Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Everett Senior Center, 3025 Lombard, Everett, WA 98201.
Daily Herald, The (Everett, WA) - Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Driver had bouts of confusion
Daily Herald (Everett, WA) - Saturday, December 3, 2005
Walter Van Heukelem never let his age stop him from driving between the assisted living center where he lived and the house he had recently left.
On Thursday, however, the 88-year-old Everett man got behind the wheel of his 1995 Ford Contour and ended up driving the wrong way on northbound I-5. He crashed head-on into an oncoming car, and both he and the driver of the other car died.
Van Heukelem's family doesn't know where the former mill worker was going, unless he was trying to check on his house, which he helped build in 1985. They also don't know how he ended up driving south in the northbound lanes.
Family members described him as a quiet, hard-working man, and a good husband to his wife of more than 55 years. He didn't drink or smoke, they said.
However, Van Heukelem also struggled with bouts of frustration and confusion, some family members said, part of the reason he had moved into Sunrise Nursing Home in Everett a month ago.
"We talked to him and told him he should not have been driving," said Silver Lake resident Bud Vrieling, 78, Van Heukelem's second cousin.
The fatal accident occurred just north of the 300th Street NW exit on I-5 north of Stanwood about 1 p.m. Thursday. The nearest offramp where Van Heukelem could have entered the highway was Starbird Road, about 21/2 miles north.
The other person who died was 27-year-old Jeremiah D. Watkins of Anacortes. His family could not be reached for comment.
Witnesses are helping Washington State Patrol investigators piece together what happened.
A Canadian truck driver saw Van Heukelem attempting to turn around in the middle of the three northbound lanes somewhere between the crash site and Starbird Road, State Patrol trooper K.A. Leary said.
Another man who was driving southbound on I-5 south of Starbird Road said he paced Van Heukelem at near the 70 mph speed limit as the elderly man drove against traffic.
Still, investigators aren't sure where he entered the highway, or why he turned around. Investigators are also baffled as to why no one called 911 to report someone driving in the wrong direction.
"Generally, when we have someone going the wrong way on the freeway, we get multiple reports," Leary said.
No skid marks were found where the two cars collided. State Patrol trooper Dan Anderson said it's possible the two drivers didn't see each other, because it can be hard to tell when a car is moving directly toward you from the opposite direction.
"What really makes it difficult is that the closing speed is so incredible with the two cars going that fast," Anderson said. "If you're dividing your attention with anything else, it's easy to see how this could happen to somebody."
Meanwhile, Van Heukelem's relatives are saddened by their loss. They feel even worse for Watkins' family, they said, and for the young man who needlessly died.
Van Heukelem had just finished making his funeral arrangements on Monday, said Vrieling, executor of his estate.
The tragic accident has made Vrieling, 78, consider how much time he has left behind the wheel.
"I can understand in my driving that I've had to be more attentive to things, and I think that's where Walt was," Vrieling said. "But he was driving like he was the only car on the road."
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or [email protected].
He has two sisters:
Hillechien Van Heukelem Balkema
23 June 1909 Rasquert, Groningen, Netherlands
1 January 1960Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Sietske "Sadie" Van Heukelem Visscher
13 April 1911 Rasquert, Winsum Municipality, Groningen, Netherlands
2 August 2006 Everett, Snohomish, Washington, United States
FAG memorial #21296320
Brief Life History of Wolbert Walter
When Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem was born on 30 March 1917, in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands, his father, Harm Van Heukelem, was 38 and his mother, Geertruida Hamming, was 37. He married Jennie Dykman on 19 September 1947, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Snohomish, Snohomish, Washington, United States for about 1 years. He died on 1 December 2005, in Snohomish, Washington, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, King, Washington, United States.
This life history was computer-generated. It is based on the information on the Details tab. To change it, edit the data on the Details tab.
Family Search profile G4CP-XJD
Walter served in the Army Air Corps during WWII with the 856th Bomb Squadron. He was an airplane mechanic in England. His citations included a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, a Distinguished Unit Badge, and a Good Conduct Medal.
Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem Walter, a resident of Everett for many years, was born in Assen, The Netherlands, on March 30, 1917, and passed away December 1, 2005, in a car accident. He was 88 years of age. He is survived by his loving wife, Jennie, whom he married on September 19, 1947. They were married for 58 years. He is also survived by a daughter, Delores Ryan, her husband, Roger, and their two sons, Walter's grandsons, Daniel and Matthew, all of Spokane, Washington; a sister, Sadie Visscher Sr.; and nephews Ken Visscher, and Herman Visscher, and his wife, Sadie. Walter served in the Army Air Corps during WWII with the 856th Bomb Squadron. He was an airplane mechanic in England. His citations included a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, a Distinguished Unit Badge, and a Good Conduct Medal. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, December 23, 2005, at the Sunrise View Convalescent Center, 2520 Madison Street, Everett. Military honors will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, December 27, at Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Everett Senior Center, 3025 Lombard, Everett, WA 98201.
Daily Herald, The (Everett, WA) - Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Driver had bouts of confusion
Daily Herald (Everett, WA) - Saturday, December 3, 2005
Walter Van Heukelem never let his age stop him from driving between the assisted living center where he lived and the house he had recently left.
On Thursday, however, the 88-year-old Everett man got behind the wheel of his 1995 Ford Contour and ended up driving the wrong way on northbound I-5. He crashed head-on into an oncoming car, and both he and the driver of the other car died.
Van Heukelem's family doesn't know where the former mill worker was going, unless he was trying to check on his house, which he helped build in 1985. They also don't know how he ended up driving south in the northbound lanes.
Family members described him as a quiet, hard-working man, and a good husband to his wife of more than 55 years. He didn't drink or smoke, they said.
However, Van Heukelem also struggled with bouts of frustration and confusion, some family members said, part of the reason he had moved into Sunrise Nursing Home in Everett a month ago.
"We talked to him and told him he should not have been driving," said Silver Lake resident Bud Vrieling, 78, Van Heukelem's second cousin.
The fatal accident occurred just north of the 300th Street NW exit on I-5 north of Stanwood about 1 p.m. Thursday. The nearest offramp where Van Heukelem could have entered the highway was Starbird Road, about 21/2 miles north.
The other person who died was 27-year-old Jeremiah D. Watkins of Anacortes. His family could not be reached for comment.
Witnesses are helping Washington State Patrol investigators piece together what happened.
A Canadian truck driver saw Van Heukelem attempting to turn around in the middle of the three northbound lanes somewhere between the crash site and Starbird Road, State Patrol trooper K.A. Leary said.
Another man who was driving southbound on I-5 south of Starbird Road said he paced Van Heukelem at near the 70 mph speed limit as the elderly man drove against traffic.
Still, investigators aren't sure where he entered the highway, or why he turned around. Investigators are also baffled as to why no one called 911 to report someone driving in the wrong direction.
"Generally, when we have someone going the wrong way on the freeway, we get multiple reports," Leary said.
No skid marks were found where the two cars collided. State Patrol trooper Dan Anderson said it's possible the two drivers didn't see each other, because it can be hard to tell when a car is moving directly toward you from the opposite direction.
"What really makes it difficult is that the closing speed is so incredible with the two cars going that fast," Anderson said. "If you're dividing your attention with anything else, it's easy to see how this could happen to somebody."
Meanwhile, Van Heukelem's relatives are saddened by their loss. They feel even worse for Watkins' family, they said, and for the young man who needlessly died.
Van Heukelem had just finished making his funeral arrangements on Monday, said Vrieling, executor of his estate.
The tragic accident has made Vrieling, 78, consider how much time he has left behind the wheel.
"I can understand in my driving that I've had to be more attentive to things, and I think that's where Walt was," Vrieling said. "But he was driving like he was the only car on the road."
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or [email protected].
He has two sisters:
Hillechien Van Heukelem Balkema
23 June 1909 Rasquert, Groningen, Netherlands
1 January 1960Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Sietske "Sadie" Van Heukelem Visscher
13 April 1911 Rasquert, Winsum Municipality, Groningen, Netherlands
2 August 2006 Everett, Snohomish, Washington, United States
FAG memorial #21296320
Brief Life History of Wolbert Walter
When Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem was born on 30 March 1917, in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands, his father, Harm Van Heukelem, was 38 and his mother, Geertruida Hamming, was 37. He married Jennie Dykman on 19 September 1947, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Snohomish, Snohomish, Washington, United States for about 1 years. He died on 1 December 2005, in Snohomish, Washington, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, King, Washington, United States.
This life history was computer-generated. It is based on the information on the Details tab. To change it, edit the data on the Details tab.
Family Search profile G4CP-XJD
Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem Walter, a resident of Everett for many years, was born in Assen, The Netherlands, on March 30, 1917, and passed away December 1, 2005, in a car accident. He was 88 years of age. He is survived by his loving wife, Jennie, whom he married on September 19, 1947. They were married for 58 years. He is also survived by a daughter, Delores Ryan, her husband, Roger, and their two sons, Walter's grandsons, Daniel and Matthew, all of Spokane, Washington; a sister, Sadie Visscher Sr.; and nephews Ken Visscher, and Herman Visscher, and his wife, Sadie. Walter served in the Army Air Corps during WWII with the 856th Bomb Squadron. He was an airplane mechanic in England. His citations included a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal, a Distinguished Unit Badge, and a Good Conduct Medal. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, December 23, 2005, at the Sunrise View Convalescent Center, 2520 Madison Street, Everett. Military honors will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, December 27, at Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Everett Senior Center, 3025 Lombard, Everett, WA 98201.
Daily Herald, The (Everett, WA) - Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Driver had bouts of confusion
Daily Herald (Everett, WA) - Saturday, December 3, 2005
Walter Van Heukelem never let his age stop him from driving between the assisted living center where he lived and the house he had recently left.
On Thursday, however, the 88-year-old Everett man got behind the wheel of his 1995 Ford Contour and ended up driving the wrong way on northbound I-5. He crashed head-on into an oncoming car, and both he and the driver of the other car died.
Van Heukelem's family doesn't know where the former mill worker was going, unless he was trying to check on his house, which he helped build in 1985. They also don't know how he ended up driving south in the northbound lanes.
Family members described him as a quiet, hard-working man, and a good husband to his wife of more than 55 years. He didn't drink or smoke, they said.
However, Van Heukelem also struggled with bouts of frustration and confusion, some family members said, part of the reason he had moved into Sunrise Nursing Home in Everett a month ago.
"We talked to him and told him he should not have been driving," said Silver Lake resident Bud Vrieling, 78, Van Heukelem's second cousin.
The fatal accident occurred just north of the 300th Street NW exit on I-5 north of Stanwood about 1 p.m. Thursday. The nearest offramp where Van Heukelem could have entered the highway was Starbird Road, about 21/2 miles north.
The other person who died was 27-year-old Jeremiah D. Watkins of Anacortes. His family could not be reached for comment.
Witnesses are helping Washington State Patrol investigators piece together what happened.
A Canadian truck driver saw Van Heukelem attempting to turn around in the middle of the three northbound lanes somewhere between the crash site and Starbird Road, State Patrol trooper K.A. Leary said.
Another man who was driving southbound on I-5 south of Starbird Road said he paced Van Heukelem at near the 70 mph speed limit as the elderly man drove against traffic.
Still, investigators aren't sure where he entered the highway, or why he turned around. Investigators are also baffled as to why no one called 911 to report someone driving in the wrong direction.
"Generally, when we have someone going the wrong way on the freeway, we get multiple reports," Leary said.
No skid marks were found where the two cars collided. State Patrol trooper Dan Anderson said it's possible the two drivers didn't see each other, because it can be hard to tell when a car is moving directly toward you from the opposite direction.
"What really makes it difficult is that the closing speed is so incredible with the two cars going that fast," Anderson said. "If you're dividing your attention with anything else, it's easy to see how this could happen to somebody."
Meanwhile, Van Heukelem's relatives are saddened by their loss. They feel even worse for Watkins' family, they said, and for the young man who needlessly died.
Van Heukelem had just finished making his funeral arrangements on Monday, said Vrieling, executor of his estate.
The tragic accident has made Vrieling, 78, consider how much time he has left behind the wheel.
"I can understand in my driving that I've had to be more attentive to things, and I think that's where Walt was," Vrieling said. "But he was driving like he was the only car on the road."
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or [email protected].
He has two sisters:
Hillechien Van Heukelem Balkema
23 June 1909 Rasquert, Groningen, Netherlands
1 January 1960Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Sietske "Sadie" Van Heukelem Visscher
13 April 1911 Rasquert, Winsum Municipality, Groningen, Netherlands
2 August 2006 Everett, Snohomish, Washington, United States
FAG memorial #21296320
Brief Life History of Wolbert Walter
When Wolbert Walter Van Heukelem was born on 30 March 1917, in Assen, Drenthe, Netherlands, his father, Harm Van Heukelem, was 38 and his mother, Geertruida Hamming, was 37. He married Jennie Dykman on 19 September 1947, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Snohomish, Snohomish, Washington, United States for about 1 years. He died on 1 December 2005, in Snohomish, Washington, United States, at the age of 88, and was buried in Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, King, Washington, United States.
This life history was computer-generated. It is based on the information on the Details tab. To change it, edit the data on the Details tab.
Family Search profile G4CP-XJD
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