Schrama Gerardus & Maria (de Jong); Son: Nicolaas

Schrama, Gerardus & Maria (de Jong) & Nicolaas Gerardus With the help of the Resistance, 19-year-old Louis de Wied found a hiding place on the Schrama family farm in Deurne, North Brabant. Before the war, he had lived in Deventer, Overijssel, but now he had been given a new identity as a student forced to go into hiding because he refused to go to a forced labor camp in Germany. The Schramas were a devout Roman Catholic family consisting of Gerardus and his wife, Maria, and their eight children, four of whom were still living at home, the other four owning their own farms. Louis went by the name of Henk Plantinga and the Schrama family had no idea that he was Jewish. Two weeks later, however, Louis told them the truth. Although shocked by the revelation, since they knew all too well what awaited them if they were caught hiding Jews, they decided that he could stay. From the very beginning, they treated him like one of the family and he shared a room with one of the sons who was the same age. Louis paid a small amount towards room and board but later, when he started to work on the farm, Gerardus Schrama actually paid Louis a small wage. Although many neighboring farmers knew that Louis was staying with the Schramas, they kept quiet. Whenever a razzia was imminent, Louis hid with the Knijnenburg family, who owned a grocery store in Deurne. During the pursuit of an Allied pilot who had been shot down, Nicolaas (Cor) Schrama was fired at by the Germans. Although Gerardus was terrified for the life of his son, he persisted in protecting people from persecution, considering it his duty to his country and to humanity. Louis de Wied stayed with the Schrama family until the liberation of Deurne in September 1944, when he joined the Dutch Princess Irene Brigade. In 1945, he became an officer in the Dutch army. On January 28, 1986, Yad Vashem recognized Gerardus Schrama, his wife, Maria Schrama-de Jong, and their son, Nicolaas Gerardus Schrama, as Righteous Among theNations.