Lakerveld Christiaan & Sara (Veen van)

Lakerveld, Christiaan & Sara Marie (van Veen) Christiaan and Marie Lakerveld sheltered 18-year-old Esther Duis (later Spuit) in their home in Wilnis, Utrecht, from July 1944 until the liberation. Esther had been working as a live-in maid for the family of Reverend Dr. Cornelis Brouwer* under a false name. When his family had to move to Utrecht, Cornelis found her a hiding place with the Lakervelds. The Lakervelds earned a modest living as fruit and vegetable growers. Under normal circumstances, they could never have afforded a maid. Nevertheless, they took Esther in, knowing that she was Jewish, and paid her the same pocket money that she had received while working for Cornelis. Although Esther did help with the domestic chores, she was also given ample free time. A special hiding place was constructed for her, which she used only once when a German soldier came to the house to buy some fruit. Marie became a friend and a mother figure to Esther. During the war, the Lakervelds also hid two elderly Jewish women for a few months. Also, in the last year of the war, Chris joined a Resistance group that carried out acts of sabotage. He also hid weapons that had been dropped by British airplanes in the greenhouses near his home. On October 26, 1982, Yad Vashem recognized Christiaan Lakerveld and his wife, Sara Marie Lakerveld-van Veen, as Righteous Among the Nations.