Beatrice A (Montes) de Muinck Keizer

Beatrice “Bea” Ann de Muinck Keizer (Montes), age 81, of Belmont, and most recently Cambridge, MA, born in New York, NY on June 23, 1937, passed away on April 27, 2019. She was the beloved wife of the late Johannes “Hans” de Muinck Keizer, who pre-deceased her in 2004.

Bea lived life to its fullest and left her mark on this world. She loved her family above all and was genuinely interested in others and building connections in the world around her. After moving back to the U.S. after living in the Netherlands for many years, she started a career at the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston and was its Director of Human Resources. She supported and was involved in programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, in particular Belmont SPORT, which has had such a positive impact on her son Rick’s life. Her fierce life force was felt by all and impacted many people's lives.

She will be missed by her loving family and many friends. She leaves behind her children: Johannes “Johan” de Muinck Keizer (and his wife Lori) of New York, NY, Juliana Spofford (and her husband Geoffrey) of Westborough, MA, Christina “Tina” Tomlow-de Muinck Keizer (and her husband Paul) of de Meern, the Netherlands, and Ricardo “Rick” de Muinck Keizer of Belmont, MA; and her grandchildren: Sabina, Johanna “Hanna”, Saskia, Isabelle, Helena, Clemens and Arlen. She is survived by her brother Ronald Montes of Oakland, CA, as well as many family members in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Her brother Ricardo Montes pre-deceased her.

Bea was a multi-cultural woman who lived in New York, Italy, the Netherlands and Massachusetts. She was passionate about traveling, cooking and food, singing, dancing and having fun. Bea taught us to embrace life, always be our best selves and to accept what came our way with courage and strength. Adaptability and resilience were part of the fabric of her life and she taught us to be loving and caring, yet assertive. She will be missed by many who she touched over the years. She had a way of leaving a lasting impression on everyone she met along the fabulous highway of her life. Her email signature always included this motto (adopted from a UU reading and chalice lighting): “Life is a gift for which we are grateful.”

Bea’s memorial service and Celebration of Life will take place at the First Church (UU) in Belmont, MA on Saturday June 22 at 2 p.m. Please wear or incorporate the color red (her absolute favorite color) in your attire in Bea’s memory if you are attending the service. Burial will be private. 

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