Ine's obituary
Ine-Marie van Dam passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on October 6, 2025. She was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands on November 25, 1947 to Ada van Esso and Hans van Dam. She is survived by her younger siblings Carla van Dam and Norbert van Dam (Lisa van Dam), and her nieces and nephews Lisa van Dam-Bates (Brandon Wirtz), Paul van Dam-Bates (Cheryl Close), Annika Kaufman (Alex Kaufman), Peter van Dam (Nalina van Dam), a wide network of reclaimed relatives and her cat, Guava.
When she was young, Ine's family moved from the Netherlands to Curaçao. When Ine was 10, they immigrated to the United States and settled down in the Pacific Northwest. Ine always had a proclivity for languages and picked up English quickly. Her parents would speak in French when they didn't want the kids to understand them and it wasn't long before Ine spoke French, and German too. After high school she moved to Geneva, Switzerland where she studied to become an interpreter. She later lived and worked in Brussels, Belgium.
Ine's travels made her many friends and took her all over the world. She traveled to South America, Mexico, Japan, all over Europe and Russia. For many years she lived in Monterrey California, and later in life split her time between Centralia and Washington DC, then Centralia and Mexico until finally she traveled vicariously, connecting friends all over the world.
Ine was a legacy speaker for the Holocaust Center for Humanity where she shared her mother's Auschwitz survival story. She was deeply engaged in her family history and keeping long lost relatives in touch. Ine's impact on those around her was significant and she will be missed by many.