Dear Lara, Viggo, and Beau,
Words cannot express how deeply saddened, shocked, and hurt we are feeling. Martijn was truly a special person—fun loving, hard working, intelligent, charming, and caring. He was a genuine team player and he made all of our lives, whether in or out of the office, better.
While I only recently began working more closely with Martijn since my move to Amsterdam, I will cherish our last 4 months of memories and experiences together for the rest of my life. There were many moments in that short span, but some that I will remember forever were his Dutch language and culture lessons, his expose on what is actually inside bitterballen, and plenty of chats about life, travel, friends, and family. His personality, easy going nature, and infectious smile made it very easy to transcend from office mates to friends, and I was so excited to see where our budding friendship would take us.
As I began to get to know Martijn, one thing became very clear: he loved and adored his family. Even though I hadn’t yet met you, Viggo and Beau, I felt like I already knew you through all of his stories and updates. Lunches, car rides, and other get togethers always featured a funny or heartwarming update on the boys and Laura, not to mention the sparkle in Martijn’s eyes that was present whenever he brought you up in conversation (even if he had just spent all night trying to get the boys to bed).
There were so many days where I’d sit in my office, waiting for Martijn to knock on the door and invite me to lunch. It was a pleasure to spend that precious time with him, and I’m still struggling to accept that we don’t get to continue building our friendship. Martijn was taken from us far too soon but he will always be loved and never forgotten.
My deepest condolences,
Arya
