Nouwen’s Family Background
Henri with his parents and younger siblings Paul, Laurent and Laurien. Courtesy of Laurent Nouwen. Used with permission.
Nouwen's mother, Maria Huberta Helena Ramselaar (1906 - 1978), studied English, Italian, Norwegian, French, Latin and Greek. For many years she was supervisor of the Bookkeeping Department in the family business. She is fondly remembered as being warm, welcoming and religious. In 1978 she came to the United States with her husband to visit Henri and while there was diagnosed with cancer. She returned home immediately and died three weeks later. Her sudden death had a profound impact on Nouwen's life.
Nouwen's father, Laurent Jean Marie Nouwen (1903 - 1997), was known for his expertise in tax law. He worked for the government for 16 years as inspector of registration and public property. During the Second World War he entered private practice as an advocate at The Hague. He was later named professor of notarial and fiscal law at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Nouwen’s father outlived his firstborn son by less than one and a half years, dying in 1997.
Nouwen had three younger siblings: two brothers, Paul and Laurent, and a sister, Laurien. Laurent and his wife, Heiltjen Kronenberg, have three children, Sarah, Laura and Raphael. Laurien also has three children, Frederique, Marc and Rainier.
