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THE FAMILY:
FAMILY
WIFE
Karel H. G. Bos married Elvire Wilhelmina Bonk, also of Malang. They were married on May 30, 1931.
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Translation of above article: (from Dutch):
We hereby express our sincere gratitude to friends and acquaintances for the great interest they received in our wedding.
K. BOS and Wife,
Malang, May 30, 1931
CHILDREN
Karel & Elvire had four children together:
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son: Erick: Born: 1932 in Malang, Dutch East Indies.
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daughter: Joan Helen: Born: July 17, 1933 in Malang, Dutch East Indies.
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son: Roy Donald: Born: December 20, 1934 in Malang, Dutch East Indies.
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son: Ludolph Henri : Born: November 30, 1936 in Malang, Dutch East Indies.
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One of the most important things that I can say about my grandfather is that he was absolutely adored by his children. While I wish I would have taken more opportunities to speak with my Oom Han about his dad, I can say that my father and aunt Joan always spoke about their father with pure love.
Karel H. Bos was always described as a deeply loving, caring, affectionate, and gentle father. When my dad or aunt spoke about my grandfather, there was always an extra twinkle of love and missing him in their eyes.
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SIBLINGS of KAREL BOS
Karel had three siblings. Two brothers, Anton and Albert, and a sister, Pat (Patricia?) to whom he was very close.
(The believed birth order):
1. Karel
2. Anton
3. Albert
4. Pat (Patricia?)
ANTON LODEWIJK GIJSBERTUS BOS (brother)
was born on May 11, 1905 in Trengalek, Kediri, East Java, DEI.
He was a 1st Soldier in the KNIL. Work: Office coffee propaganda Colonial Bank in Surabaya.
He was first married on November 7, 1929, to Louise (Louisa) Heijstek (Heystek) in Malang. They later divorced.
He remarried to Sophie Charlotte Tielman.
He died November 6, 1975.
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ALBERT HENRI OSWALD BOS (brother)
was born on November 30, 1906 in Paree, Kediri, East Java, DEI.
He was a Reserve 2nd Lieutenant Artillery in the KNIL. Work: Surveyor Cadastre
He married on May 10, 1932, to Charlotta Antonetta Kuitert (born 1908) in Bangil, Java, DEI. He later married Cornelia (?)
Albert and Cornelia had one daughter, Lisolette, born on March 19, 1933, in Batavia (Jakarta), Jakarta Raya, Indonesia.
Albert died in The Netherlands. Corneilia died in The Netherlands.
Lisolette died in 2008 in New Jersey, USA.
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In my research I also found that Albert appears on a PRISONER OF WAR LIST. Albert is #157 listed.
PAT (PATRICIA?) BOS (sister)
Thanks to my dad's cousin, Sietske Bos (daughter of Anton), I now know that Pat's married last name is "Snel."
Unfortunately, no other info is known about her at this time.
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PARENTS of KAREL BOS
Update as of December 26-27, 2025:
After receiving my ancestry.com DNA results and some family tree info, as well as receiving the geneanet.org family tree info, which was mostly researched and created by Dutch-Indonesian genealogist, Marianne Meisenbacher, I FINALLY have the correct names of the parents of Karel H. G. Bos (my great-grandparents.)
The names previously listed were done so with multiple question marks, as my research claimed that those names were only possibly the parents of Karel H. G. Bos. It never sat right, but I left them up "just in case", but always with the multiple question marks listed with their names.
I am confident with these new results for several reasons: 1.) It was through ancestry.com that directed me to these specific names on geneanet.com; 2.) My great-grandfather's 1st middle name matches my grandfather Karel's 2nd middle name; 3.) My great-grandfather's 2nd middle name matches my uncle Ludolph's (& my cousin, Ludolph Jr.'s) middle name; 4.) my great-grandmother's first name starts with the letter "S", which I have been searching for almost a year, based on the postcards that my grandfather addressed to her from his imprisonment at the internment camp; 5.) the name that I could make out on what my aunt, Joan H. Bos, said was my great-grandfather's birth certificate (below), is the name "Antoinetta Carolina Louisa Bruijnis", which is the exact name listed as the mother of Leopold (and subsequently the grandmother of Karel H. G. Bos) on the FAMILY TREE in that "chapter."
FATHER:
Leopold Gijsbertus Henri Bos
of Dutch-Indonesian descent.
Born April 2, 1878, in Pati, Java, DEI.
Died August 24, 1938 in Malang, Java, DEI.
MOTHER:
Soekinem
of "pure" Indonesian descent.
Born in 1844 Trengelek, Kediri, DEI.
Died March 23, 1944 in Malang, Java, DEI.
FATHER of KAREL BOS
My aunt, Joan Bos, had given me a photocopy of my great-grandfather's birth certificate. The translation was done using "Grab Text", which did not correctly translate this old-style handwriting. (I still have it on my list to translate more accurately as soon as time allows.)
As listed on the FAMILY TREE (in that chapter), the father of Karel H. G. Bos was LEOPOLD GIJSBERTUS HENRI BOS, born to Antoinetta Carolina Louisa Bruijnis and her husband, Karel Hendrik Bos, on April 2, 1878, in Pati, Central Java, DEI.
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FAMILY TRIP(?)
Newspaper clipping below is from a trip Elvire took with all three children. "Mevr. E. Bos.; J.H. Bos (Joan) and "2 kinderen" (2 kids: Roy & Ludolph.) It does not show Karel Bos on the passenger list. The two were likely already divorced by this time.
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DIVORCE
Karel & Elvira eventually divorced. I am not sure of the year, however, I do know that their children were still young. It was somewhere between 1937 and 1941. (At the earliest, they divorced in 1937, based on the date of my uncle's birth. At the latest, they divorced in 1941, based on the date of Elvira's second marriage. )
I also do not know the circumstances as to why they divorced, other than family stories and gossip throughout the years. This included stories of fault on both sides: My grandmother, Els, was said to have extremely excessive spending habits. My grandfather, Karel, was said to have enjoyed flirting and the attentions of other women. If these statements are true, it's difficult to say if one lead to the other?
Karel had a long-time girlfriend, Ed (Edwina? Edith?), who was very good to the children as told to me by Joan Bos. After the divorce, the children all lived with their father and his girlfriend. I wish I knew her full name as she was loved by her "step-children." I truly wish that I knew her name and was able to find any information about her.
Elvire Bonk remarried, to J. W. (Kees) Boordie-Ripassa (of Surinamese descent) on January 9, 1942, in Malang.
After the imprisonment of Karel H. G. Bos by the Japanese occupation, the children moved and went to live with their mother and their step-father.
Elvire & J.W. (Kees) Boordie-Ripassa had two children together (the half-siblings of my father, aunt, and uncle):
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(daughter) Olga Boordie-Ripassa, born June 8, 1947 in The Netherlands.
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(son) Robert Maria Boordie-Ripassa, born June 15, 1949 in The Netherlands. Died October 11, 1979, in The Netherlands (due to Multiple Sclerosis.)
