With much regret I have to announce that Leendert van Oostrum, chairman of the Pestalozzi Trust, has passed away on 13 October at the age of 64. He was in and out of hospital for a number of complications since the middle of August and passed away yesterday at the Eugene Marais hospital in Pretoria. He is survived by his wife Karin and three daughters, Cornelia, Uda and Katrina.
It is impossible to measure the value that Leendert added to the lives to thousands of homeschooling parents over the last three decades. He will certainly leave a big void. Leendert is the founder of the Pestalozzi Trust and this organisation was blessed richly to create a safe environment in which tens of thousands of parents can homeschool their children with peace of mind.
We are thankful for that this legacy of Leendert can continue to protect the freedom of home education in South Africa. The activities of the Pestalozzi Trust will continue as normal and the trustees will meeting in the coming weeks to appoint new office bearers.
In the meantime you are encouraged to pray for Karin and her children and children-in-law that they might receive courage and strength to cope with this loss and continue with their duties. You are also welcome to send a message to dievanoostrums@gmail.com of dievanoostrums.navrae@gmail.com. Information regarding the memorial service will be communicated at a later stage.
– Bouwe van der Eems (Trustee : Pestalozzi Trust)
