Willem Pieter Cornelis Oldenhuis June 16, 1953 – June 16, 2026

Willem Pieter Cornelis Oldenhuis — known to family and friends as Wim, and to many simply as Bill — passed away in the early hours of June 16, 2026, his 73rd birthday, at The Laurels of Bon Air in Richmond, Virginia. He was born on June 16, 1953, in Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands, the seventh and youngest child of Lammert Oldenhuis and Dirksje de Vries Oldenhuis.

On February 12, 1957, the Oldenhuis family emigrated to the United States, arriving aboard the SS Seven Seas and settling in Elmira, New York. Wim came of age in the Southport neighborhood of Elmira and attended Southside High School with his best friend Ted Lyman. Not long after graduating high school in the early 1970s he headed west to California with friends. After spending several years living near the Pasadena area, and then a period of time back east working in upstate New York and at Virginia Tech University, Wim eventually settled in Omaha, Nebraska, where he would live for the better part of three decades. He married Kim Baker in 1987, and together they raised two sons, Ian and Cornelis (Corey). His career ranged from veterinary technician work on research projects at the University of Nebraska-Omaha to serving as Area Chief Engineer for health care facilities with Five Star Quality Care. Wim was also instrumental in bringing his beloved mother Dirksje — known to the family as Oma — to Omaha in her later years, where he visited her faithfully until her passing in 2008. He later relocated to Chesterfield, Virginia, where he spent his final years.

Wim loved music and had a wide-ranging taste across the spectrum of classic rock, folk and blues – though no other artists influenced him more than Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. He loved intellectual pursuit, collecting books from renowned authors and scientific communicators such as Carl Sagan, as well as watching trivia shows like Jeopardy. Even through life’s hardships, which included struggles with diabetes, his wit was inexhaustible; Wim seldom wasted an opportunity to craft a great pun. He enjoyed writing, too, and in his later years penned several short stories and attended a local writing group.

Wim is survived by his sons, Ian (Jocelyn) Oldenhuis of Washington and Corey (Hannah) Oldenhuis of Nebraska; his siblings, Bert (Marion) Oldenhuis of The Hague, Netherlands, Corrie Glinski Dotson of Galveston, Texas, and Jantina (Ken) Mann of North Carolina; his brother-in-law, Steve Josephson of Virginia; and his companion, Linda Daul of Virginia. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother and father; his brothers Jan (late Hennie) Oldenhuis and Hendrik (Sandra) Oldenhuis; his sister, Marianne Josephson; and his brothers-in-law, George Dotson and Alex Glinski.

A Celebration of Life for Willem Pieter Cornelis Oldenhuis will be held Tuesday, July 14, at 11 a.m. CDT at Brookside Church, 11607 M Circle, Omaha, NE 68137.