| Special to The Monroe News
About 250 descendants of Louis and Louise Vergouven gathered at Newport Fireman’s Park for their 75th family reunion.
The first reunion took place in 1947, and since then family members have made an effort each year to meet and share memories and celebrate the family’s Belgian heritage.
Dale DeSloover of Monroe is one of the main organizers of the event and was very excited to be able to hold the milestone meeting in 2022.
“It’s an opportunity to bring families together and honor them,” DeSloover said.
The reunion featured a full lineup of food, family portraits, bounce houses, cornhole tournaments, and countless displays of family history photos and memorabilia. The cornhole tournament had a prize of a craft trophy and Belgian beer. There was also a raffle to win one of the cornhole sets custom painted with the Belgian flag.
In anticipation of the meeting, DeSloover spent time visiting the cemetery of St. Joseph in Monroe, the cemetery of St. Joseph in Erie, Roselawn Memorial Park and LaSalle Township Cemetery to place small Belgian flags on the graves of more than 50 deceased family members. Local and out-of-town relatives were thrilled to be able to visit these four cemeteries and be able to clearly identify and honor the deceased Vergouvens.
The individual who traveled the farthest is Paul DeSloover, Dale’s twin brother, who made the trip from Juneau, Alaska. He surprised his family by showing up at his brother’s house one evening – he hadn’t let them know he was going to the meeting.
This year, the family made color-coded T-shirts to identify which branch of the Vergouven family each attendee belonged to. Each of Louis and Louise’s 11 children was represented by a different colored shirt. While about 250 attended the meeting, more than 300 T-shirts were ordered. Many family members were unable to attend due to distance or conflict, but still wanted to have the keepsake shirt.
On the morning of the reunion, social media was flooded with family who couldn’t attend in person posting photos of their homes while wearing their T-shirts.
“It was really fun to see the photos on Facebook,” Bob DeSloover said. “The family seemed to have a strong connection through the shirts regardless of the distance. It was a way to be able to see which branch of the family tree each of the attendees represented.”
The two oldest members of the family, Frances VanSlambrouck and Elsie Wynsberghe, are 95 years old. They are the immediate granddaughters of Louis and Louise Vergouven. Both women were named “Reunion Queens” and presented with wreaths and flower arrangements. Each had five generations of representation to their name at the meeting.
“I’ve been to every meeting but one,” VanSlambrouck said. “In 2021 she was unable to attend due to a conflict. She and her cousin fondly remembered growing up, and remembered always doing things together. At 95 they still keep in touch and their respective families they sat at adjoining tables during the reunion.”
The family reunion has had varying degrees of attendance over the years, but Dale DeSloover noted that this is one of the largest reunions they’ve had. Family members are spread across the country, so this opportunity to meet was appreciated by many. They spent time catching up with relatives they hadn’t seen in a while, shared stories and memories, and generally celebrated their shared Vergouven legacy.
The Vergouven family will continue to hold the reunion annually and is excited to see the family grow and add more shirts to the next family photo.
