Coen Rood's Obituary
Coenraad "Coen" Rood of White Oak passed away Saturday, October 1, 2011 at Beacon Hospice, Spring Hill, Texas. He was 94. Coen is survived by his wife Jannie; daughters Magdalena Rood married to Leslie Moore and Josepha Rood married to Doug Rybacki; grandson Felix Rybacki; sisters-in-law Marjon Ornstein and Henriette Ornstein; nephew Willem Noordanus; niece Sarah "Sally" Elsas Carter; and Nellie the dog. He is predeceased by his first wife Elisabeth "Bep" Kooperberg 1962; son Herman 1953; sisters Elisabeth "Liesje" Rood 1942 and Maria "Marie" Noordanus-Rood 1989; brothers Aaron Rood 1942, Machiel "Chieltje" Rood 1942 and Jonas Rood 1943; and nephew Machiel "Chiel" Noordanus 2000.
Coen was born in 1917 and grew up in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the son of Hartog Rood and Marianna Rood-Vogel. Even as a teenager, he was very involved in politics and youth movements.
He was apprenticed to a baker, worked as a nurse, then got a business degree and became a master tailor. He met his first wife, Elisabeth "Bep" Kooperberg, while working in a hospital and survived The Holocaust to be reunited with her. They had 2 children: Magdalena and Herman. Herman died tragically in 1953. The Roods moved to the U.S. in 1960, first to Shreveport and then to White Oak where Coen purchased the Longview Tailor Shop. Bep died in 1962.
In 1966, Coen met and married his second wife, Jannie Ornstein, also of The Netherlands. They had one daughter, Josepha. He closed his tailor shop in 2005, after working as a tailor for over 70 years.
The overarching experience of Coen's life was the 37 months he spent imprisoned in 11 concentration camps. He vowed with his fellow prisoners that if any of them surivived, they would bear witness to the atrocities for the rest of their lives, which Coen did by speaking to schools, churches, civic organizations and anyone else with an interest. His memoirs have been published in German and Dutch. His story is also available at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, through the University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation Institute, and Yale University Library's Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.
Despite the tragedies in his life, Coen was known for his sense of humor. He loved to travel and closed his shop each summer for a family vacation. Coen was an avid fan of political news and professional wrestling. He was a member of Temple Emanu-El in Longview.
A memorial service will be held Monday, October 3 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel of Rader Funeral Home of Longview, followed by a graveside service at Memory Park.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, the family ask that mourners make contributions in Coen's memory to the Dallas Holocaust Museum www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum www.ushmm.org.
A memorial guestbook may be signed online at www.raderfh.com.
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