From the International site of the SVDP – Early in the morning of the 18th January our beloved brother Dr. A. Q. C. van Ruiten suddenly died in Trivandrum /Kerala, at the age of 76, on his annual tour of Conferences and projects in India.Tony van Ruiten started in the Dutch Society in the nineteen-fifties as National Youth Representative and accompanied the Dutch delegation to the first International Youth Meeting in Paris on the occasion of the Tricentenaire of Saint Vincent in 1960 under President General Prof. Chouard.
In the Netherlands, Tony van Ruiten served as Secretary General, National President and Overseas Representative. Tony travelled to India more than 35 times and visited most of the Central Councils and a big number of Conferences.
He started with the Conferences and Councils all kind of Vincentian works (Buffalo Banks, Cow Banks, Goats Banks, Fish wending, Housing Programs, Eye hospitals…), bringing millions of Euros to Indian projects and animating other countries to help them. He also worked a lot on the development of twinning arrangements, therewith supporting the development of the Society in India.
On the international level, Tony van Ruiten contributed a lot to Council General as International Vice-president and Coordinator of Group 2 of Europe. He was a critical observer of the development of the Society and with the Group, he helped to prepare the modernisation of his beloved Society of Saint Vincent de Paul from Montreal to Paris and Fatima Assemblies. His greatest support was his wife Jeannette, who died 5 years ago.
We pray for his soul and ask Saint Vincent and Blessed Frederic to accompany him into Paradise.
We express our sympathy to Tony’s three children and to all his relatives.
