Jeanne Roethemeyer

Jeanne Roethemeyer, 86, of Bolingbrook, IL, peacefully passed away on Sunday, February 13, 2022. Jeanne was born in The Hague, Netherlands on September 8, 1935, to Willem F. Davids and Johanna G. Bakkenes. When Jeanne was a child, the Nazis occupied her homeland. She and her family were Holocaust survivors. She grew into a very strong woman yet was also genuinely gentle and caring. After the war, she received her nursing & medical training in the Netherlands. She immigrated to the United States in 1959 with three children. The family settled in Belmont, MA. Jeanne truly enjoyed her time working as a Nurse’s Aide in the Delivery Room and Operating Room at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. For several years she was a single mother of five, working fulltime and sometimes working another job. She met and married, U.S. Navy, Petty Officer, BT1 Paul H. Roethemeyer in 1970. They loved family summer getaways travelling to lakeside parks, taking scenic ocean drives, and watching the Olympics, particularly ice dancing and figure skating. She was a “Davids”, and like her father, she loved to have fun and enjoyed playing jokes on people. When not taking care of her family, she took pleasure in sewing, knitting, crocheting, and gardening. She was an excellent cook and relished whenever she could enjoy a rijsttafel with a Dutch Coffee or traditional Dutch holiday food like poffertjes or saucijzenbroodjes. Jeanne is survived by her children, Eleonora (Tom) Hernandez, of Framingham, MA; Rudy (Jane) Bouhuys, of Bolingbrook, IL; Jim (I’tarana) Bouhuys, of MA; Michael (Cheryl) Bouhuys, of Bartlett, IL; Mark Bouhuys, of Bolingbrook, IL; William (Mary) Roethemeyer, of Joliet, IL; 17 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and multiple nieces and nephews. Jeanne was preceded in death by her husband, Paul H. Roethemeyer; parents, Willem F. Davids and Johanna G. Bakkenes; brother, John Davids; sisters, Hans Davids De Weij and Rivka (Wilhelmina) Davids Colje; and nephew, Ivo Colje. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to any of the following: Alzheimer’s Association, https://www.alz.org/ The Blue Card Project for Holocaust Survivors, https://www.bluecardfund.org/ American Heart Association, https://www.heart.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give Internment will be private. Online condolences at https://www.sullivanfunerals.com

Jeanne Roethemeyer

September 8, 1935 - February 13, 2022