Woorden uitgesproken tijdens crematie, Chateauroux, 1 september 2025

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Dear Friends of John,

We are here together to say farewell to our very good friend John.

John who passed away so suddenly and still young, having only enjoyed a year of retirement.

A couple of key words I think picture well the kind of person John was:

Dependable and loyal:
One of my first memories of John go back to me standing under the wing of the ZVC, the Pipercub, Navy airstation Valkenburg with John and fellow ZHVC club members waiting for the rain to stop. That must have been around 1988, easily close to 37 years ago....
After the rain stopped John flew the Piper and a cylinder head cracked. An emergency landing followed, well handled by John. Ever since I had the pleasure to make many safe aerotows behind John and his Piper. I expectedly did have to call him on the Saturday and Sunday mornings, right after briefing, if he would be available to tow that day. I could always relie on John, an hour or so later he would turn up and diligently would pre-flight check the Piper and start his towing day. Of course John behind the stick would mean at times that I would be back earlier than he after the tow, as John always took care of the Piper's engine. 

John recently mentioned that his flying hours on the Piper cub alone would be close if not more than 1,200.... It is from those days that we all remember John saying 'coming in to drop the tow'.

But so many more occassions would follow during which John could be relied on. Many times of John fabricating nice solutions to remove play in control systems, canopy locks or mount cameras. He himself called it 'Q branch'.

Of course his endless soldering skills came to good use when installing new radios and transponders in many gliders. 

Stubborn and self willed (in Dutch 'eigengereid'):
John was stubborn, perhaps you could say very stubborn. Famously was the moment that he was flying at the St Florentin airfield in I believe the Astir, in a thermal when an instructor joined down below. John was turning left, the instructor wanted to turn right. The instructor instructed John to adjust his turn. John objected. An exchange followed and law abiding John turned around. Promptly he lost the thermal and had to land. He was so annoyed that he left home without much thinking, with Fred chasing him by car and trying to make him change his mind. Without luck. 'Effe kochen' became similar to John getting fed up and choosing to escape home and the situation he found himself in.

As part of this characteristic, it was not easy for us friends to give advice to John which he then would follow. Many years prior to his retirement we talked with John about preparing for that period to come, to prevent he would sit all too much on the couch at home... Our efforts continued till last week, by giving him the advice to relocate for just a couple of summer months to France and find out if he would like it.

Calmness:
John would never, hardly ever, raise his voice or loose his temper. He was the calmness himself sitting in the backseat of many gliders. John had his own speed of doing things, often slower than the rest, but clearly keeping a reserved approach to excitement and in fact by doing so, instilled calmness on many pilots not to get overly excited....

Initiative:
John was the kind of the guy who would gladly leave the initiative to others. Likely a reason why he could get along with so many of us.

Big wings:
John definitely appreciated as large gliders as possible. John was my first passenger flying the ASH 25 over Issoudun, having been checked out by Pascal. Years before John and I were eager to fly with the ASH-25 above Aosta, flown by the Chief Flight Instructor of Rieti. We flew the 25 in South Africa from Bloemfontein, at Issoudun and years later our dream of flying the Binder EB 28 became true as well. 

Holidays:
John was literally counting the days to his next holiday. These were moments in his life that he was amongst friends, doing what he enjoyed most, flying. John came 21 consecutive years to France, initially Bourges and then Issoudun. The brown room at Maison de Philomene was for John, no question asked. Aosta was another highlight of the year. If not for flying, then for drinking cappucino's and enjoying the good food. One of the best holidays John confided in me was his trip to Australia in 2015. We shipped our Arcus to Corowa that year and John came to fly with me that time. It was John who flew the Arcus in the thermal next to Lake Urana and crossed the 2,000 meters in the Arcus for the first time. But let us not forget the trips to South Africa and Namibia. It was John who one time managed to go twice in one season to South Africa....

He very much liked the area around Issoudun. He was dreaming about his future home, with an adjacent airstrip, of course, in this part of France. He was literally day dreaming about converting ruins into lavish mansions for him and his friends.

Gentleman:
Above all John was a gentleman. Always well mannered, very reserved and respectful to all. John hardly cursed.

In closing, we have lost a very dear friend in John. May he rest in peace and fly high.

Kees van Schaick 

 

 

  

 

 

On dit qu’il faut simplement quelques instants

Pour repérer une personne exceptionnelle

Qu’il faut quelques jours pour l’aimer

Mais qu’il faut ensuite tout une vie pour l’oublier

John faisait partie pour vous de ces personnes

Il était exceptionnel, vous ne l’oublierez pas.

 

Aujourd’hui vous êtes ici, pour rendre hommage à cet homme qui a partagé tant de moments avec vous,et lui montrer une fois encore votre amitié.

 

Il y a des personnes qui marquent nos vies, même si cela ne dure qu’un moment, nous ne sommes plus les mêmes., Le chagrin de l’avoir perdu, ne dois pas vous faire oublier le bonheur de l’avoir connu.

 

HOMMAGE

 

Lorsque quelqu’un sort de notre vie, on pleure

 

On pleure autant son souvenir que tout ce qu’il n’a pas fini d’accomplir en nous

 

Et s’il y a une amertume dans la solitude que l’autre nous laisse en partant,

comme une dette d’inachevés entre ceux qui se sont véritablement aimés,

il y a aussi une certaine douceur : un soulagement étrange.

 

Quelque chose d’éternel dans la conscience d’avoir eu « la chance de se rencontrer »

 

On te voit partir.

Quitter cette terre qui était la nôtre.

Mais parmi nos décombres résiste une fleur – une fleur éteinte mais inarrachable.

Une fleur de gratitude.

 

Alors l’écho infini d’un remerciement ricoche dans le vide de cette distance nouvelle qui nous sépare,

dernier pétale d’une fleur morte qui n’en finira jamais de tomber, et on comprend.

On comprend qu’aimer en valait la peine.

 

MUSIQUE

Faire son deuil, ce n’est pas oublier,

Faire son deuil ce n’est pas s’enfermer dans la douleur,

C’est plutôt continuer à rire de ce qui vous faisait rire ensemble.

 

Il y a des jours pleins de vent,

Il y a des jours pleins de colère,

Il y a des jours remplis de larmes,

Et puis, il y a des jours pleins de joie…

Qui nous donne le courage d’aller de l’avant pour tous les autres jours...

 

Une jolie citation dit :

La vie est une rose dont chaque pétale est un rêve et chaque épine une réalité

 

 

Dans ce monde, la vie est un cercle de bonheur, de tristesse, de temps durs et de temps heureux. 

 

Le temps de la séparation est maintenant arrivé.

Ce cercueil va maintenant échapper à vos regards en étant inhumé.

 

Déposer de petites fleurs séchées sur son cercueil est un geste, bien que simple, pour certain, il est rempli d’amour, de sincérité, de beauté et si intense. 

 

C’est un moyen pour vous tous d’exprimer vos sentiments, et de laisser partir un souvenir partager avec lui.

 

Nous allons donc procéder à son inhumation puis je vous inviterai, pour ceux qui le souhaite, à venir faire ce geste, sur une musique de Carmina Burana « Carl off » (5.21) 

 

DEPOT DES FLEURS

 

Ici s’achèvent le chemin de John parmi vous,

 

Il est descendu de votre train de la vie en ce mois d’Aout, vous laissant continuer votre voyage.

 

Que ce temps d’hommage et de mémoire,

Que vous venez de partager,

Vous aide à continuer votre chemin.

 

Que votre tristesse trouve son apaisement

Et que votre vie reprenne malgré le départ de John

 

Je terminerai cette cérémonie par cette jolie citation

 

« Ce qui compte, ce ne sont pas les années qu’il y a eu dans la vie. C’est la vie qu’il y a eu dans les années. » 

 

Monsieur Paviot, Pompes Funebres Saint Florent Funeraire

 

Thanks for allowing me to say a few words about John. I realize very well that I am the youngest in the group of friends, I know John the shortest of all of you. I actually have no right to speak at all. I would just like to share with you how I have experienced John this last holiday.. It is well known that John really looked forward to the trips to Aosta and Issoudun. Partly due to the hot weather there was less flying, we made some trips together around Issoudun, visited a monastery and attended a church service in Chateauneuf sur Cher, we talked about all kinds of things.

John's biggest dream: a house in France, but not just a house, no an old farm to be renovated to facilitate a workshop for crafts and a house where friends actually come to visit every now and then. Not a place where John would be alone. Preferably an airstrip... We looked at many objects and dreamed together. John remained in that dream in his beloved France. A man cannot slip away more peacefully, more happy and surrounded by friends dear to him. I would also like to express my incredible gratitude to the friends; Jacques and Martine, and the helpful people who selflessly provided all the care almost in the middle of the night and tried to keep John alive. The professional people from the fire brigade, police and Bourges hospital did everything they could. The words of Doctor Nouyna, who had to confirm to us that John was no longer among us, were warm, sincere, very empathetic and, above all, human. The doctors words proved to be a support for me to accept that it could not be prevented this sudden death and that we should cherish and hold on to the pleasure that day, the week, up to some 36 years ...
May god bless us all.
May John rest in piece.

 

Johan Zandstra