Marike de Kruiff RIP
It is with deep personal sadness that I write of the untimely death of Marike (formerly of Philips Lighting and Philips Design) following a brave battle with breast cancer.
Marike was more than just a colleague with a great eye for lighting and design. She was a loving wife and mother of four daughters who shared her wisdom (and a few great toys) with me when I found myself a new mum in a strange land with no family support close-by.
Marikes’ passion for light shone through in everything she did. When we were working on retail lighting projects together, she would spend hours taking customers around the country to see the latest trends and unique designs. She would point out things that they could never ‘see’ themselves. And she could take an abstract desire from a customer and turn it into a clear technical specification for the product and optical designers to work on. But she had a great send of humour too and was not above showing our international visitors the beautiful bridge lighting (Inc/GLS) and ‘red’ lighting in Amsterdam. Those of you who have visited the Philips Lighting booth at Light and Building (and Hannover Fair) in years gone by will have seen her work in action. Not just in helping to design the products but also how they were presented and of course, the lighting of the booth itself. She worked very hard to help me develop the ‘flexible ambiance’ theme into what became AmbiLight for shops, that seemed quite radical then – before LEDs were in common use. Now it is used everywhere. There wasn’t a single LED luminaire in our range when we started working on it. Imagine that!
At last years’ L+B, we reminisced about the ‘good old days’ and she was heartened to see that the roots of what we began could still be seen in the evolution of the products and themes shown today. She knew that it would be her last L+B and although tired, was very happy to see a lot of friendly faces.
I was blessed to know Marike for 25 years. She had a lot of friends – both inside and outside Philips. She will be sadly missed and my thoughts are with Jan, her daughters and her family.
Julie Allen
We will remember Marike as an extremely passioned Lighting designer with remarkable talent to combine her intensive work load for Philips Lighting with a busy family life (being a supportive wife and mother of 4 daughters). She cared very much for them as well as her customers. I remember well, some visits that we made to H&M in Sweden and later to Hong Kong to introduce the AmbiScene concepts to Lighting designers and architects. She came always very well prepared and always did her utmost to support her colleagues with Light Technical advice, concepts and sales pitches. A true professional with a real Philips Lighting heart.
She will be missed by many. Our thoughts are with Jan, her children and their beloved ones.
Albert Zomer & Nina Rosenthal
Very sad to hear this. She was a wonderful teacher and taught me so much about lighting and life. A beautiful soul.
Karen Owens
I’m in shock! I have worked with Marike on several projects like the Bijenkorf and I remember her as a very dedicated mother for her children and a great colleague with inspiring and creative ideas. She will be missed…
Ester Veldhoen – Roijackers
Her passion for life and light were unique. To me she was a great colleague!
Jeroen
I remember her sensitivity and her integrity. She had an eye for beauty, that was so needed in the Philips technical world, and she stayed always loyal to her principles. Her legacy in Philips Lighting is big. As a person, I remember that she was always ready to support anyone who needed of her talent and her knowledge.
Olga Romanillos
Marike was a warm, passionate professional and we will miss her.
Liz Zwerver
Een prachtig mens en vakvrouw is niet meer! Ik herinner me onze ritjes samen met de trein naar de Bijenkorf Amsterdam.
Mirjam van der Kaaij
Marike was een hele fijne collega met een dijk aan kennis en ervaring op o.a. lichtgebied. Zal nooit vergeten dat we naar een project gingen en dat ze voor haar jongste dochter, die nog in zo’n kinderzitje in de auto paste, niet zo snel oppas kon vinden. Geen probleem, ze ging gewoon mee naar het project. daarna snel naar huis omdat ze ook haar moederrol serieus nam om met een van haar andere meiden naar vioolles te gaan. Als ik dit weer zo schrijf komt er weer een glimlach op mijn gezicht, een zakelijke en privatelijke menging. Dank je Marike dat ik je heb mogen kennen.
Bert-Jan Van Cooten
Passie voor licht en architectuur..
Voor mijn vakantie nog met haar gesproken om een Lac bezoek te organiseren voor haar oud studiegenoten, zag er naar uit om met haar naar het nieuwe Lac te gaan.. Rust zacht Marike.
Nico Karres
I remember Marike as an outstanding colleague with a curious interest in lighting. In the planning team for the L+B stand Frankfurt 2004 she was the anchor woman within the whole Team to create a special appearance there and at other fairs. I won`t forget her warm attitude and personal touch in relations over the years and long distance.
Heinrich Hagermann
14 Aug