Death of Menno Tuurenhout
It was with deep sorrow that we learned of the sudden death of our dear colleague Menno Tuurenhout on 7 December 2020.
Menno was the Director of Operational Management of our Faculty of Humanities until September this year. Before coming to us, he worked at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences for many years. He started there in the young discipline of Public Administration, later becoming the Director of Operational Management of the Faculty. Menno was still involved in several projects at Leiden Law School, the Faculty of Humanities and the Administration and Central Services department and in the spring of 2021, together with his wife, would have started to enjoy their retirement. Although he performed his work with passion and great commitment, and looked back on his long and successful University career with great pleasure and satisfaction, he was also very much looking forward to this new phase of his life. It is extremely sad that this was not to be.
Menno’s death has torn a hole in our University community. Not least because he was a kind and loyal person and his characteristic The Hague humour, genuine interest and highly developed insight into human nature made him a cherished colleague. Menno was a man who valued personal contacts and derived much enjoyment from them. Moreover, he was an experienced administrator, and had the ability to bring people together.
The address that he gave in August, when leaving his position as Director of Operational Management of the Faculty of Humanities, ended with the words: ‘Look out for each other and take a little care of each other.’ That was very typical of Menno.
We wish Jorrita, Maarten, Danielle and Mia, Sander and Gerdien the strength to bear this great loss.
The Board of the Faculty of Humanities
Mark Rutgers
Mirjam de Baar
Jeroen Touwen
Suzy Sirks-Bong
Jonatan Wirix-Speetjens
Ceremony
The cremation ceremony will be held privately on Tuesday 15 December at crematorium Ockenburgh, Ockenburghstraat 21, The Hague. Menno loved flowers. Flowers can be delivered to the crematorium preferably on the day before the ceremony.
The ceremony can be viewed via the link below. During the ceremony, the connection went down, from about 1h15min. This is the complete recording.
View the ceremonyCondolences
For colleagues who want to share a memory or wish the family strength, a condolence book has been placed in Menno's room, Huizinga building, room 2.22.
You can also leave your personal condolences at:
https://www.memori.nl/menno-tuurenhout