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Farewell to Albert Truyman 1933 - 2025

Son of Frans Truyman and Madeleine Laureyssens



Sailing ship "Mercator"

The term 'funeral' has never been more appropriate than today, I think. He really couldn't help himself, sailing. That's what Karine, Peter and Harry told me. Not throughout his life, not during his retirement, and not even beyond his life. Even across the border between life and death, Albert continues to sail. He chose to sail. To set his own course anew. To remain captain of his ship, his life. And that typifies him. Albert held on to a defined structure, to patterns, to values, to convictions that were instilled in him from childhood and that he felt he had to adhere to. But at the same time he was also an adventurous man. A driven explorer. A free soul. The attraction that boats, ships, the water, life at sea had on him was enormous. And irreversible. Even as a little boy he was inspired by maritime life. Boats were all the rage for him. He therefore chose the open sea very early on. It was not his hobby, it was not his passion, it was his life. His entire being. Albert was inextricably linked to braving the stormy sea. The sea is - just like Albert - always in motion. The water sways back and forth between ebb and flow. Between coming and going. A continuous flow that reminds us that life has no end point. Every life sets something in motion and stays in motion. Every life has an effect on other lives like a ripple on the water. On people around you; on your wife, your children, your grandchildren, your family, your colleagues and your friends. You are of significance to many people. Whatever. You bring many people pleasure and protection, but also challenges. The sea can also be wild and unpredictable. Just like life itself. You never really know what's coming and you have to make do with what you have. Seeking out that wild, hard life was like a countermovement to his structure and fixed patterns in his life. In fact, Albert often went against the flow, without perhaps fully realizing it. Despite his desire for structure, he always chose his own path and followed his sense of adventure. Just like Peter and Karine do in their own way. However different they may seem, at the core of their being, they are intimately connected by that similarity. The sea also possesses enormous power. And that too is reflected in Albert's life. He had an enormous drive in him. A drive to do well in life; to take his role as head of the family seriously. At a very young age, he took responsibility for his life. And that was far from easy. But he was determined to build a life together with Peggy that offered security to his family. He wanted to provide a safe haven. To say that that must have been quite challenging at the beginning of an adult life is an understatement. Without money, without a plan, with a distance that could not be bridged easily. But he did it. They did it. Together they managed to devise a plan and provide a soft bed. That is quite impressive. After the turbulent last few weeks, peace can now slowly return. We are now taking the first steps in that direction. Dear people, good morning Today we are here together in this auditorium to give and wish the driven, structured, hard-working, helpful, dedicated, resolute, frugal, fervent sailor a beautiful funeral. Welcome to the farewell ceremony of Albert Truyman. Welcome to the place where we immerse ourselves in his life story. Where the person he was deep inside may reach the surf. Where the dominant waves that he sometimes expressed in his life may break and where his pure, clean power may remain as soft, white and hopeful foam on your life path. As a reminder of who he was, of what he meant and of what he continues to mean to you. He was allowed to leave his home port and go on a voyage of discovery again. He was allowed to set course for a new destination. One that is unknown, but which he wanted to get to know with great determination. I invite you to wave him goodbye with much love and a warm heart. To wish him a nice trip and a safe return home. And to feel close to him. With whom he was deep inside. Family has always played an important role in Albert's life. He was taught that value as a child when they went to live with the family of his father's first wife, who died young, during the war years. That bond has always remained close. They were, as it were, one family with more than 100 members. A close-knit clan that supported each other and helped each other when necessary. And through his mother he was also able to experience that a warm family was beneficial. Her children were everything to her. He already showed that caring as a child. He took care of his little brother Harry. Even though Harry was too young to remember it now. The strong bond that they later built up speaks volumes. They went on holiday together and Harry came to visit every two weeks. Then they had coffee and a whiskey. A fixed ritual that was dear to them. He also had a warm bond with Fons and felt connected. After their time at 't Heiken, the family moved to 'den dam' in the Burchtsestraat where the seed for his second passion was planted. Gardening. Albert helped his father in the garden with great pleasure and dedication. In '52 the family then moved to Dorp West to run café Het Anker there. As a sign, maritime life became even more part of his life. Because ships and the sea were in Harry's heart from an early age. Even as a child he was attracted to them, Harry said. He went to the Sint-Martinusschool in Burcht until he was about 14, but then Albert wanted to go into shipping. I said 'about 14' because he is a November child and therefore has a late birthday. To be allowed into the maritime school in Antwerp you had to be 14 years old. Through intermediaries his mother arranged for him to start there anyway. Thanks to that action his life took a fast turn. A year later he left with the Mercator on an adventurous journey to America and Martinique. The fact that as a young boy he already knew and wanted to brave that tough sea life says a lot about his inspiration, his courage and his entrepreneurial spirit. Sleeping in hammocks, scrubbing the deck and other heavy tasks and only sleeping a few hours at a time is certainly not given to everyone. But bitten by the seafaring bug he signed up for the long voyage after his training. And his sea book does not lie. He travelled around the world. Until he had an unfortunate fall in April 1956 on a small coaster that was going to sail the Mediterranean. He was admitted to hospital and the ship sailed without him. After his recovery he joined the army. In the navy, of course. He was stationed in Germany, in Cologne with the Rhine flotilla. And there, during a night out, the handsome sailor met the beautiful Emilie, who preferred to call herself Peggy. She would always keep that more American-sounding name. That it was great love is undeniable. He drove back and forth to Cologne a few times on his scooter and she came with him to Belgium to build a life together here - in a language she did not speak and in a place where she knew no one. To both work hard to earn enough and sometimes not enough money. To choose each other with determination and to make a commitment that undoubtedly demanded a lot from both of them. As Karine put it so beautifully; she was hidden behind the bridal bouquet in 1959. Peter followed a little later. Albert and Peggy decided together how they would shape their family life. He left the long voyage behind him to become a boatman here, in Antwerp. And Peggy stays on shore to take care of the household and the upbringing of Karine and Peter down to the last detail. They worked hard. Both of them. With great conviction, each in their own field. Thanks to Peggy's intense care and concern, Albert, den Beir as he is also called among friends and colleagues, was able to focus on his career and afford to take a long additional training course to become a harbour pilot. For 13 years he immersed himself in the books and completed that tough study - partly thanks to the many questions asked by Karine - with verve. And so he ensured for years a safe and smooth sailing of the ships on the Scheldt. The stream in which Albert could throw out the anchor of his heart time and again. Albert was a good sailor and became a solid and competent pilot who was greatly appreciated by colleagues, both at home and abroad. Just give him the tough, stormy weather conditions. He could handle that. Calling him up at Brabo was done with 'Albert' or 'Beir', but that was difficult for Peter, who also worked in the same company for 20 years. How was he supposed to address the person he called 'dad' by their first name? He didn't do it for a long time, he told me. And I found that quite touching. Their values ??and beliefs are usually opposites. They could hardly be more different in life and they could sometimes clash, but he always remained - even at work - his daddy's son. Through that maritime route they found each other very much and they saw how they are both those solution thinkers, those fixers with a down-to-earth view. How they like to see each other put into those practical actions and are both straightforward. Karine and Peter still remember that even when they went on a cruise on the Moesel as a family, their daddy would crawl upstairs in the cabin. But there were other holidays too. In the Ardennes, for example, in Normandy with a mobile home or Norway, by boat of course. Then everyone participated in the activities that Albert had planned. Then they went walking, fishing and catching crabs. And they cooked themselves. Albert thought that was important. Later too, when he went on a trip to Cyprus with Harry and Josephine - because he had warm contacts with his fellow pilots there - Albert would always first check whether there was a cheaper restaurant somewhere else. He could not let go of his thriftiness. Corfu was their first flying holiday, with an accompanying hotel. And there Albert wanted bacon and eggs for breakfast. Or later spaghetti in Cyprus. That was Albert too. He stuck to his habits, to his fixed structure and he got it all sorted. As the 'don' of the family, he could do that better than anyone. He decided, he gave advice and the solutions. During family parties he would sit at the head of the table. Karine told us how cosy the Christmas parties at their home were. With homemade croquettes and rabbit. With lots of fun because for Albert it was very important to be in the company of his family. But even then he could always be called upon. 'He would have loved nothing more', said Karine. Fortunately, after his retirement he was able to sail on the Rupel for many years. And when that was no longer possible, Jan, his former colleague pilot and captain of the Rupel, came to get him so he could help out on the ship. Today he tells us how their bond came about and what Albert means to Jan. I am happy to give him the floor. During his retirement Albert took over the kitchen. Both cooking and growing vegetables became important pastimes for him. He grew those vegetables in his typical driven and sometimes delegating way in the communal garden of 't Velt, together with Guy and Willy and later with the support of his son-in-law Erik. Willy wrote a text on behalf of the skilled gardeners and himself that beautifully describes their warm bond. I read the text in their place. 'He was a real pepe', Karine said very convincingly. He liked to be involved in the lives of his grandchildren and if he could do something, arrange something to make their lives more pleasant, he did it. Like arranging an apartment in Ostend when that was more comfortable for Glenn and Kevin, for example. It was already mentioned in the text by Willy and Guy, Albert liked surprises. For example, when Dries and Nathalie turned 18, he had the idea to organize a surprise party for them and their friends at De Rupel. He thought that would be great and so he went for it. And he would never have made a distinction. Everyone always got the same amount. There was always an envelope ready for every grandchild's birthday. Dries and Patrick always felt welcome. What the time with and at their pepe means to them, Dries likes to share with us. I'm happy to give him the floor for this. 'For our dad, there was little grey area', Peter told me. He saw things in black and white. And that made it very difficult for Albert to get older and no longer be able to do everything himself. He found that difficult to accept. The person who used to always be ready with a solution and help, now needed help himself. That was not easy. Not for him, and not for his loved ones either. Because someone who is disappointed in his own abilities will sometimes only be able to accept the help that is gladly offered by others with some hesitation. The confrontation can be too painful. As Peter said so nicely, 'everyone has their own backpack, right'. That is certainly true. Each of us has our own story. Our own baggage that weighs in a certain way. And then it is how you deal with that backpack. Everyone does that in their own way. Some look away, others dive into it or unload it layer by layer. That is a choice that everyone makes for themselves. Such a choice has an influence on your environment. In that you may find your own way. You may give yourself the time and space to feel what that does to you. How missing Albert feels is different for everyone. Each of you experienced each story in his or her own way. Each memory has colored your life in a unique way. And so the time of mourning in which you are now moving is also your time. Your mourning. Experience it in your unique way. That can sometimes be loving and grateful. Sometimes painful and angry. And all of that is allowed. In this way you gently take the helm of your own life ship in your hands again and sail your own course again. Just like Albert is now continuing his course. And so we have come to the end of Albert's life celebration, dear people. Thank you for being here today. Thank you for surrounding Albert warmly and for listening to his special life story. In a moment my colleague will invite you to say hello to Albert here at the front. Come and stand quietly next to him and thank him for what he brought you in life. Take the time to really feel that moment between the two of you. I hope that you can wish him a nice journey and that you look back on your journey together with a soft heart. That you may feel how you are still in the same boat, only in a way that is new and that needs time to get used to. And I wish you much softness and warmth for the time to come.


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