To View Service Live Click Here

Jan Wijbrand Henri SPIN (86), beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle passed away peacefully, in his home on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, with his family by his side. Vey, as he was known to his family and friends, led a very pioneering life. He was born in Heerde, The Netherlands (NL) on August 25, 1937. He spent his childhood and formative years near his birthplace.

Inspired by his mother's business dealings with plantations in Indonesia, Vey attended The Netherlands Training Center for Students of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture in Deventer, NL. "It was a very practical education that included everything from weeding, to feeding chickens and summers spent in France, working on a farm, taking produce to market and selling crops. Everything you needed to know to run a plantation," said Vey.

Upon graduation, with a Bachelor of Science in Tropical Agriculture, he was invited to interview for a position assisting farmers in the north of Holland. After three days of interviewing, instead he was offered a job in Costa Rica with Albatross Fertilizers, headquartered in Utrecht, NL. After thirty-seven hours of flying, Vey arrived in Costa Rica on March 14, 1960, ready to learn and become successful. Vey had a thirst for adventure and early on he received an important piece of advice from a plantation owner: "Sell yourself first. We [planters] know the fertilizer is good, but we buy from the one we like."

With his year in Costa Rica complete, Vey was transferred to Kingston, Jamaica. From there he would work with plantation owners and agriculture co-ops throughout the West Indies, traveling ten weeks at a time, to provide technical advice to agents on each of the islands, for the next 15 years. Here was a new beginning where Vey's career and personal life would entwine: Shell was his agent and Brigid Taylor was one of the secretaries assigned to transcribe Vey's work. Romance blossomed! Vey proposed on his birthday in 1963 and they were married on April 4,1964. They welcomed three children, Marielle in 1965, JeanneMarie in 1968 and Jan Wijbrand in 1973.

When the political situation in Jamaica created rampant civil unrest, Vey was offered an opportunity to start anew in New York in 1976, working in fertilizer contracts for the next five years. When UKF Albatross was acquired by DSM, he was sent to Mexico to represent the DSM Chemicals Division. Hydrocarbons business was soon added to his portfolio and after a wonderful six years, Vey and his family relocated to Houston, Texas to open the DSM Hydrocarbons office in 1987. Here he continued to work until his retirement from DSM after 37 years.

Retirement did not mean leaving the business world. Vey had simply relocated his briefcase to start a new venture because, as he said, "you never  get tired of good business". Vey was a founding partner of Southern Chemical Corporation, a marketing organization covering Mexico and North America for Methanol Holdings Trinidad, Ltd. This allowed him to return to the Caribbean, a region he loved very much. Vey's motto was "be yourself – don't try to outsmart your business partners" and "make sure you have more appointments with customers than corporate."

Aside from his storied career, Vey adored his wife and loved his family fiercely. He loved to gather the family for regular meals and looked forward to the annual family vacation in Jamaica. He always enjoyed a good party and looked for any excuse to celebrate. Vey was an avid golfer, playing twice a week, with a seasoned group of friends, until only a year ago. He was also a great field hockey and soccer enthusiast. He watched many soccer games with his grandsons over the years. He never hesitated to sit down with grandchildren to show them how to color inside the lines, play chess or any other game. To say that "Opa" will be missed dearly, every moment by his family is a true understatement.

Vey is preceded in death by his parents, Jan and Henriette Spin (née Wiencke) and sister Marianne Spin. He is survived by his loving wife of sixty years, Brigid (née Taylor), his daughter Marielle Spin and two children Nicholas and Emelia Buckalew, his daughter JeanneMarie Lesseraux (Ron) and two sons Ethan and Aidan Lesseraux, and son Jan Wijbrand (Christine) and three daughters Vivian, Camille and Corinne Spin, a brother, Eric Spin of Lauderhill, Florida, a sister, Beppie Westerbeek (Geert) of Schalkhaar, NL and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, 7810 Cypresswood Drive, Spring, TX on June 24th at 11am, followed by a reception at Champions Golf Club (no jeans, sport coat optional). A private family burial will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to MD Anderson Cancer Center or St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church Gonzaga Building Fund.