Schoutrop Gerardus & Anna (Devooi)

Schoutrop, Gerardus Joseph Schoutrop-Devooi, Anna Gerardus and Anna Schoutrop were living in Heerlen (prov. Limburg) with their ten children, born between 1924 and 1939. The family was Roman Catholic. Gerardus was a mailman and the three oldest daughters worked in order to help out. In addition, the family had a vegetable garden next to the house that provided for basic needs. Before the German invasion, Anna Schoutrop had been a friend with the Jewish Julia Kosten. In June 1940, Julia married Ernst Bock, also from Heerlen. Independently, Gerardus had met Ernst at a local stamp club. With the onset of the deportations of the Jews in July 1942, Ernst turned to Gerardus to hide Julia’s mother, Bertha Kosten-Levij. After consultation with his wife, they agreed, in spite of the danger and the strain on their large family. However, even before to the mother arrived, the Bocks received a summons for “work in the East” and thus urgently needed a hiding address for themselves as well. Again, Gerardus and Anna came through, even though their small home made for very crowded living conditions for so many people. In October 1943, the parents of Ernst, Julius and Jenny Bock (née Gronsfeld) were also taken in by the Schoutrops. Sadly, a month after her arrival, Jenny Bock died of natural causes. Sisters at an adjacent monastery buried her. No one was to know of the presence of the extended Bock-Kosten family who stayed indoors at all times. When visitors came, they were to stay in a backroom, without making any noise. Until the liberation of the area in September 1944, the 17 people in the Schoutrop’s household had to share the only one toilet and the only one sink to wash. Since there were not enough beds, Bertha Kosten shared a bed with two Schoutrop daughters. The nearly 80-year-old Bertha became a much loved grandmother figure in the Schoutrop household. Julia helped out with household chores. Gerardus and Anna received forged food stamps from time to time, butotherwise they tried to manage with the little extra food they got from their garden. After the war, all stayed in touch for the rest of their lives. On June 10, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Joseph Gerardus Schoutrop and Anna Schoutrop-Devooi, as Righteous Among the Nations.