29.05.2018

Kees Zeevenhooven 1927 - 2018

We have received the news that Kees Zeevenhooven, former managing director of Rotterdam based crane and equipment distributor Zeevenhooven BV, has died.

The company was founded by Kees in the 1920s, and entered the crane market when it gained the Priestman crane and excavator franchise in 1935. Kees senior was killed during the German invasion of 1940, his wife managed the company through the war gradually selling off manufacturer’s inventory. Kees junior took over as managing director in the late 1940s and was later joined by his brother Frans.

The company did particularly well with the Priestman Lion crane/dragline which it imported as a superstructure for mounting on a wide tracked Dutch crawler undercarriage. The company closed its doors in 1985 when Kees retired. Frans went on to manage JCB Netherlands.
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Kees Zeevenhooven

Zeevenhooven is survived by his brother Frans, two sons, two daughters, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, with two more on the way. His wife, Willy, died last year. The funeral was held last week in Wassenaar, with more than 300 attending to pay their last respects.
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