Salemburg, NC
Rurik (Richard) van Schoonhoven van Beurden, 77, of 225 Needam Lane, died at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Goldsboro, NC on May 22, 2021.
Rurik was born March 15, 1944 in Rotterdam, Holland to Mimosa Smorenberg and Bram van Schoonhoven van Beurden. His parents and grandparents were very well-known artists in Holland. He was a proud member of the Dutch Military Airborne Division, having served four tours in Vietnam in 1962 and 1964. Later he worked with NATO, where he helped train American Special Forces and also the 82nd Airborne troops, becoming an honorary member of the Special Forces Club out of Fort Bragg, NC.
After retiring, Rurik earned his doctorate degree in Economics, working at BMW in Germany, and later with Porsche in Germany. He sold the very first Porsche in America to the owner of Circus Circus Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and it was actually put on display there for many years. He lived in England a few years, then moved to the United States in 1985. He was the Owner-Operator of Quality Car Detailers and the Jeep King Import/Export. He exported many Jeeps, classic cars, and other vehicles to Holland, Germany and England. He then got his CDL at Cape Fear Community College and actually the oldest student in his class, finishing the top of his class and on the Dean’s List. He then began his over the road, coast to coast driving career. He later started his own business, The Flying Dutchman, and later went into heavy hauling only. Richard had to retire from trucking after twelve years, due to health issues. He then became a handyman and was proud of his work and always stood behind his work. He always said “if he was going to do a job, he was going to do a quality job, no matter the job – large or small, because that’s what the customers who hired him deserved.” He was definitely a man of many talents, had integrity, was hard working and dependenable and will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Left to cherish his memory are – his wife of twenty-six years, Janice Coleman van Beurden; sons: Nick van Schoonhoven van Beurden (Diana) Holland; Bram Raine (Debs) of Manchester, England; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; brothers: Gijs in Germany; Harpert and Robert, in Holland; brother-in-law, Scott Coleman (Suzanne), sister-in-law, Valerie Coleman Bartell (Gary) and many nieces and nephews, whom he also adored.
Janice would like to recognize Sampson Home Health for their many visits and home health care and physical therapy and their care and assistance they provided to him; and also to Tim’s Gift, Inc. of Clinton, NC and Boy Scout Troop 27 of Graves Memorial Presbyterian.
Memorial Services to celebrate Rurik’s life, will be held in North Carolina and in Kentucky at later dates and will be announced by the family.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the funeral home to help cover funeral expenses. This may be done on Rurik’s obit page on the funeral home’s website, or by mailing to Royal-Hall Funeral Home, PO Box 815, Clinton, NC 28329. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.
Royal-Hall is honored to serve the family.
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