Jan Jacobus Van Ekeren Ekeren)

Jan Jacobus van Ekeren, 89, of Vernon, formerly of Glastonbury, beloved husband of H. Margaret "Peggy" (Harbottle) van Ekeren died peacefully on Friday, January 23, 2015 in Glastonbury. Jan was born July 3, 1925 in The Hague, Netherlands. He was the only son of the late Christiaan van Ekeren and Bertha van denOever.
As a young man he was a semi-pro soccer player with HBS Craeyenhout, one of the original clubs of Dutch football. He survived the Nazi occupation of Holland and came to the United States in 1948, sharing a room in Kalamazoo, MI with his cousin, Larry Spitters, a co-founder & President of Memorex. Later he moved to Canada and in 1954 returned to the States to live in White Plains, NY with his new bride. After starting a family the two moved to Madison, CT, then to Mt Kisco, NY, and finally to Glastonbury, CT in 1962. Jan began his career as a Sales Representative for K. L. M. Royal Dutch Airlines. He next worked in District Sales for British Airways before retiring from Sabena Belgian World Airlines. Jan was a member of St. James Church in Glastonbury. In addition to his wife Peggy, he is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law, Margaret "Maggie" van Ekeren of Earlysville, Virginia and Janet and Roger Hollister of Glastonbury. There was always a pet, or several, in Jan's life and memorial contributions can be made to Our Companions Animal Rescue. http://www.ourcompanions.org/pages/donate.htm Funeral services will be private. There are no calling hours. Holmes Funeral Home, Manchester has care of the arrangements. To leave an online condolence please visit www.holmes-watkinsfuneralhomes.com