Hessel Berend Hendriksma

Hessel Berend Hendriksma, 96, of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, died Friday, May 10, 2019 at his residence.

Hessel was born on Sunday, March 25, 1923, in Doesburg, in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. He was the son of the late Hieltje Hendriksma, formerly of Doesburg, and the late Sjoerdtje Sijbranda (Hooghoudt) Hendriksma, formerly of Rotterdam.

Hessel is survived by his wife, with whom he was married 61 years, Mary Miller (Brubaker) Hendriksma. He is survived by one daughter, Hylda Hendriksma, and her husband, Walter Hendriksma of Leiden in the Netherlands; and one grandson, Danny Hendriksma.

In the Netherlands, Hessel survived five years of German occupation during World War II. He attended the Merchant Naval College Engineer’s School of Apeldoorn and the Vrije University of Amsterdam. He worked at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Harrisburg Seaplane Base and then became self-employed, retiring as the owner/operator of a lumber and veneer business.

Hessel met his wife, Mary, while she was on a tour of Europe in 1949. They enjoyed many travels together to Europe, and particularly to family in the Netherlands. In Pennsylvania, they enjoyed visiting family and attending church activities. He was a member of both the Dutch Mennonite Church in Amsterdam and the Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg. He enjoyed cultural programs and history, reading and travel. He was always in for a good laugh and appreciated practical jokes; he kept his curiosity and sense of humor until the end.

A visitation will be held at 2:30PM on Saturday, May 18th, at Parthemore Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1303 Bridge St., New Cumberland, PA. A funeral service will follow at 3PM (at the funeral home). Upon conclusion of the service, Hessel’s burial will take place in Grantham Memorial Park, 550 Grantham Rd., Mechanicsburg, PA.

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:4