Josina P. M. De Smit Kits Van Heyningen

Josina P. M. de Smit Kits van Heyningen, of Newport, died peacefully on Thursday, August 27, 2015 in Newport at the age of 88. She was the wife of the late Arent H. Kits van Heyningen. Josina was born on March 13, 1927 in Rotterdam, Holland, the daughter of the late Willem P. de Smit and the late Trijntje M. A. Neijs de Smit. Growing up in Holland during World War II, she endured many hardships that instilled in her a defiant and strong-willed spirit that lasted her entire life. After the war, she joined the Dutch Army where she was the secretary to a general, and it was there that she met her husband Arent, a captain in the engineering corps. After marrying in 1953, they immigrated to Montreal, Canada where they lived for nine years and started their family. In 1962, Josina and Arent relocated the family to Newport, RI, where they settled down and raised their two sons. A city girl at heart, Josina eventually grew to love the beachside community of Newport, often frequenting Easton's beach with her friends and family.Josina augmented her administrative skills from her earlier career by going back to school and studying accounting. Along with her husband and her two sons, she helped found KVH Industries where she worked in the accounting department for 30 years until her retirement at the age of 82. At work, she was a mother figure to many and she created a family-like environment a" a spirit that endures to this day. A fiercely independent person with a unique personality, she touched many lives. She kept her Dutch heritage alive through food, customs, and language a" always speaking Dutch in the household and occasionally to her American friends. She enjoyed sewing and needlepoint, but was always happiest when surrounded by friends and family. Josina is survived by two sons: Robert W. B. Kits van Heyningen and his wife Debra, and Martin A. Kits van Heyningen and his wife Kathleen; and four grandchildren: Hendrik, Arent-Peter, Willem, and Thomas. She is preceded in death by her sister Wilhelmina de Smit Plaizier in June 2015, and her husband Arent H. Kits van Heyningen in 2011. Calling hours will be Friday, September 4 from 4:00-8:00 pm at Hambly Funeral Home, 30 Red Cross Avenue, Newport. Funeral services will be private. Visitation SEP 4. 04:00 PM - 08:00 PM Hambly Funeral Home 30 Red Cross Ave Newport, RI, US, 02840 info@memorialfuneralhome.com http://www.hamblyfuneralhome.com