Source: Yad Vashem
Willem Roco had agreed with his good school-days friend, Wilhelm (Wim) Gieben, both living in Rotterdam, that the latter would try and take care of the Roco children, Annette, b.1938, and Emile, b.1933, in the event that the Roco family would be ordered for “work in the East” - an euphemism for the death camps. Indeed, in the fall of 1942, Willem and Elizabeth Roco (née Katan) and … [Show more]their children were all ordered to report. Wim immediately turned to the Rocos and took the children home with him to Gorinchem (prov. South Holland). Since the children knew him and his family well, the trauma of leaving their parents was somewhat softened. The Roco parents found separate hiding addresses for themselves, but were later discovered and deported. Only Elizabeth Roco survived. Wim and Serline Giebens had two young children of their own, and Serline was pregnant with their third child when Emile and Annette arrived. Sadly enough, the baby died soon after birth. In addition, Serline was then diagnosed with cancer. Keeping both Roco children became too much of a burden under these circumstances, and a different hiding address was located for Emile. About nine months later, in the summer of 1943, the Giebens were informed that Annette’s presence with them had leaked out, whereupon Wim immediately took Annette to a friend in Amsterdam, who had connections with a local underground group. A new hiding address was found with the Schrier family in the village of Kamperland (prov. Zeeland). Wim personally took Annette there by train, at serious personal risk. Upon his return home, the Gestapo were waiting to inquire about Annette. Frustrated that they had not found the girl, they arrested Wim, took him for interrogation and sent him to the Vught (Herzogenbusch) concentration camp in the south of the country. He was luckily freed about eight months later. Annette in the mean time settled in nicely with the Schriers, who were at the time a young couple without children. She was received with much warmth as if she was their own daughter, over time becoming the oldest of their own children who were born later on. The Giebens managed to find out where Emile was hidden, and thus made sure that brother and sister could receive news about each other. Again, however, too many people came to know Annette’s new hiding address, and she had to be moved a second time. The Schriers found Reinier and Jannetje Scheele, farmers in the nearby village of Wissenkerke, willing to take her in. They had an infant daughter and Jan was active in a local resistance cell. The change was very traumatic for Annette, now a six-year-old, who was continually crying in her new home, and it took Jannetje Scheele a week to calm her down. The Scheeles were out in the fields all day, and thus had a woman at home, Truus Groenenboom, who took care of the baby and the house. One day, when home alone with the baby and Annette, police approached the Scheele home, having been tipped off and looking for Annette. Truus did not loose her cool and hid Annette in the cellar, covering the entrance to it with a rug. Immediately after the house search, during which Annette was not found, Truus took her out by bike, trying to find an alternative-hiding place. Not having succeeded until the late evening, she turned to the minister of the village, who took her in for the night. Reinier Scheele stayed away from home for some time until he considered the coast clear. Annette was taken to Reinier’s parents, Pieter and Esther Scheele. They were farmers in the nearby village of Kapelle, where they lived with their daughter Cornelia, who was in her early twenties. Three other children had left the parental home earlier. After a short period, three German soldiers billeted the farm. In order not to have to move Annette again, they told them that she was Cornelia’s daughter, whose husband had been taken to forced labor in Germany. Luckily, Cornelia had dark features just as did Annette and the story was accepted. Cornelia took her new position seriously, and became Annette’s main caretaker. She also taught her to read and write. Annette stayed with the Scheeles until the liberation of the area in October 1944. After the war, the Schriers were instrumental in locating the mother, Elizabeth Roco, who had survived Auschwitz, and in reuniting the family. She was reunited with Annette and Emile at the Scheeles. Contact stayed very frequent and intense, and Annette called the Scheeles “oma” and “opa” until their deaths. Annette lost all contact with Truus. Only in 2004, after the ceremony for the Giebens and the Scheeles, did Truus’ son hear about it and contact Annette in the name of his mother, who had passed away.
On December 7, 2003, Yad Vashem recognized Wilhelm Gieben, Serline Gieben-Kinsbergen, Jan Schrier and Franscina Schrier-Verhulst, Pieter Scheele, Esther Scheele-de Putter, their daughter Cornelia Scheele as well as their son Reinier Jan Scheele and his wife, Jannetje Scheele-Kruidenier, as Righteous Among the Nations.
On April 30, 2006, Yad Vashem recognized Truus Fonteijne-Groenenboom as Righteous Among the Nations.