Morgan Hill lost a leader in August when Henk Marselis died
unexpectedly at age 63.
Morgan Hill lost a leader in August when Henk Marselis died unexpectedly at age 63.
The founder and supporter of Mt. Madonna YMCA and Leadership Morgan Hill succumbed to cancer after a short illness and just before he was to receive a special commendation for his work.
In November Marselis was honored as a Distinguished Volunteer Fundraiser for 2003 during the Silicon Valley Chapter National Philanthropy Day Awards Celebration. This 16th annual celebration worked with a mission that touts “Changing the world through philanthropy.”
Nominated by Mt. Madonna YMCA, Marselis was lauded as exemplifying the spirit and values of the Y, having raised tens of thousands of dollars that enabled local needy children and families to take part in Y programs.
“It was the biggest ceremony I’ve ever seen,” his wife Nancy Marselis said. “There were 2,000 people. The procession of award winners was truly special.”
“It was quite a shock though,” she said, “to be introduced as his widow.” The couple’s two sons, Hans and Thys, were also present to see their father’s award presented.
“Henk would absolutely have loved the event,” she said. “He would have basked in the glory, relished the entire event.”
The Y wasn’t his only endeavor. Marselis graduated from Leadership Morgan Hill in 1996 and served on its board for years as its long-time treasurer. He also made an impression on fellow Leadership graduate Sherry Hemmingway.
“Our lives and our world are better for having had the privilege of knowing him.”
Marselis was born in Goes, Zeeland, which is part of The Netherlands. He grew up there during World War II; when the war was over and the Nazis left, the family moved to Amsterdam. Marselis’ brother and sisters still live there.
Marselis, however, joined IBM and stayed for 47 years. He and Nancy lived in The Netherlands until he was transferred to the U.S. At the time, such a transfer was not all that usual.
“It was quite a plum for a Dutch national to be sent to the Palo Alto office,” said Nancy, a teacher of art. “He was a financial adviser, one of the original DOS team,” she said. “Director Jim Frame liked Henk and gave us the choice of staying (in the U.S.) or going back to Holland. We stayed, even though it meant giving up our house in Holland and Henk’s sailboat,” Nancy said. “We had a happy life and the kids did much better here. He loved Morgan Hill and he loved the YMCA, especially the Indian Guide program. Henk loved his life, his kids and his pool; he had a funny sense of humor – he was full of life.
Hans and Thys still live nearby.
Marselis’s father was a Dutch water police officer. In The Netherlands, the extensive system of canals and streams, widely used for transportation, has its own police force. Marselis chose a different path – one that led him to IBM and further education.
His brother Jan, however, became a sea captain, is now retired and lives with his wife Lydia in one of the gabled canal houses Amsterdam is famous for – just a bridge or two away from the Ann Frank house on the same canal.
Marselis was also a mainstay of Morgan Hill’s St. John the Divine Episcopal Church and a member of the church vestry.
Retired principal Jean Pinard met Henk through St. John’s and knew a side of him others did not.
“What most people don’t know is that he was very musical,” Pinard said. “I’ve listened to tapes of Henk and (his brother) Jan singing Dutch folksongs and they really did very well. I also remember him as having a big, generous heart,” she said.
The Rev. Philip Cooke spoke fondly of Marselis at the burial service.
“This community loses a devoted volunteer and servant..,” Cooke said. “Henk would remind us to really live life, and to live our lives blessing others through friendship and community service.”
