Freddie Dekker-Oversteegen 6 september 1925 – 5 september 2018
On September 5, 2018, the day before her 93rd birthday, a remarkable Resistance fighter passed away. Freddie Oversteegen was 14 years old when she and her sister Truus joined the Resistance. Raised by her single mother, she too had learned that despite poverty, one cared for others. As early as 1934, the family had taken in German refugees.
After the start of the war, she and her sister distributed pamphlets in Haarlem and even pasted them over German posters.
Frans van der Wiel also involved Freddie in more intensive resistance work.
In the spring/summer of 1943, Freddie met Hannie Schaft, and together with Truus and Hannie, she risked her life several times to assassinate Dutch traitors. Freddie was often assigned the role of scout. She was small, and the Nazis didn’t expect such a young girl to be in the Resistance. Freddie was also involved in transporting weapons, escorting Jewish children to safe houses, and sabotage operations.
The three young women are members of the Resistance Council.
After the war, Freddie’s life calmed down. She married J. Dekker and raised three children.
From 1996 onwards, she was also a member of the board of the National Hannie Schaft Foundation for many years. There, she made her voice heard in her own unique way, with humor and dedication. In recent years, she has retreated somewhat, but she has always been a prominent presence at the Foundation’s commemorations in Haarlem.
The Foundation’s board will miss Freddie Dekker-Oversteegen.
Jeroen Pliester, chairman
Anneke Burger-Tebbens Toringa, secretary
