Monday Oct 13, 2025

Jacoba “Jackie” Meijer Drees Vaandrager

Aug. 10, 1925 (Rotterdam, Netherlands) – June 18. 2016 (Austin, TX)

All of Mom’s Dutch sayings she remembered and jotted down in this booklet have been scanned – and along with most of her physical remains – have been uploaded to the cloud, or clouds. This, then, becomes one of the many scattered pictures we remember: Pictures in the Clouds. But mostly, I remember the laughter.

Jacoba “Jacky” Vaandrager Meijer Drees was a:

Daughter

Sister

Cousin

Friend

Wife

Mother

Grand mother

Great grandmother

Immigrant

Seamstress

Home maker

Cook

Landscaper

Physical therapist

Democratic precinct representative

Nature lover

Swimmer

Tennis player

Camper

Traveler

Jacoba, “Jacky” Vaandrager Meijer Drees was born Aug. 10, 2025. Three months afterwards she and her parents moved to Indonesia where her brothers, Henk and Joop were born.

  • 1925, Dec. – 1940 – Grew up in Indonesia, moving 7 times
  • 1940-1945 – Lived in Holland during World War II where she and brother Henk were separated from the family just before the war, attending 3 high schools and staying with her grandparents on both sides (Rotterdam – Ebes side, Driebergen) and with uncle Henk Ebes (Amsterdam), working on a farm near Amsterdam during the last “hunger” year of the war. Re-united with her Mom, Dad and Joop after war.
  • 1948, Sept. 23 – Married Jan Meijer Drees (met in high school as a friend of Ali Meijer Drees, Jan’s sister); dropped her medical study at the University in Amsterdam and began having children.
  • 1950, 1951, 1952 – Gave birth to Herman, Frieda and Bart
  • 1959 – Emigrated to Dallas, TX; soon joined by Vaandragers and Kuiper families
  • 1964, Sept. – May 1968 – B.Sci., North Texas State, pre-med
  • 1968, June  – Fall 1968 – Physical Therapy Program, Baylor, Dallas
  • 1969, Jan. 1 – PT at Re-Hab. Hospital, Harry Hines; 1/2 to full time PT at Presbyterian Hospital, Walnut Hill
  • 1979 – Bought Lake Travis house
  • 1989 – Retired PT at age 64, after 20 years of PT service

Mom passed away, June 18, 2016, peacefully and pain-free, surrounded by her loved ones

  • 1987 – 2015 Volunteer, Lake Travis Library, WHERE DOCATIONS ON HER BEHALF WILL BE TAKEN.

Mom passed away June 18, 2016 in peace and apparently pain-free, surrounded by loved ones. We thank you for sharing her 90 ½ years of life with us today, June 25, 2016.

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