INDUSTRY NEWS
IN MEMORY OF...
A Remarkable Life Salli “Sal” van Gelder, 1938 – 2026
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s a Jewish child in the Netherlands, he survived the Holocaust. He later crossed the Atlantic with only a trunk and built a family and a business from the ground up. Much of his later life was devoted to serving others. Those who knew him best will
remember more than his accomplishments. They will remember the unmistakable way he lived. Sal was direct and demanding, yet generous and mischievous. He was always convinced that people and circumstances could become better. Sal passed away peacefully at home at 7:10 a.m. on July 10, 2026. He was 87 years old. His devoted wife, Mariette, and his caregivers were by his side. Sal was born on October 8, 1938, in Hengelo, the Netherlands. His parents were David and Mietje "Miep" van Gelder. His family's Jewish roots in the eastern Netherlands extended across generations. During World War II, Sal survived the Holocaust by hiding with a Christian farming family in Enter. The Holocaust took his grandparents and two aunts. It also took a young cousin and many other members of his extended family. After the war, Sal was reunited with his parents and returned to Hengelo. He had survived, but the world he returned to had changed forever.
A childhood remembered
What Sal endured did not weaken his Jewish faith. It deepened it. He had survived a time when his religion and identity placed his life in danger. For the rest of his life, he remained proud of his Jewish heritage and steadfast in his faith. His support for Israel was intensely personal. He was equally committed to Holocaust remembrance and Jewish organizations. He also worked to preserve Jewish life. Sal’s childhood experience later inspired “When the Soldiers Were Gone” by Vera W. Propp. The book offers a fictionalized account of a Jewish child who emerges
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 7, 2026