The association mourns the loss of its long-time First Chairman and Honorary Chairman.
Klaus Mainz passed away after a long illness on 3 July 2021. The past months were marked by his illness, which he defied with an iron will and energy for 18 years and did not let it limit him.
With a lot of heart and soul, professionalism and commitment, he contributed himself and his international professional experience to the most diverse projects and honorary offices. In 1992, soon after moving to Neu-Anspach, he joined the Verein zur Förderung Internationaler Beziehungen Neu-Anspach e.V.. As an assessor, treasurer and from 1997 to 2009 as chairman and then honorary chairman, he shaped the association for many years and broke new ground with the association.
In addition to the many activities with which he kept the town twinning with Saint-Florent alive, he was responsible for turning the two-way partnership into a successful three-way relationship, and the Slovenian community of Sentjur has enriched the circle of town twinning since 2006. It is also thanks to his fun and enjoyment of French “savoir vivre” that Neu-Anspach received a proper boules court in 2007, where both the annual boules tournament and the weekly games of the amateurs can take place. To list his achievements would take a long time and to keep Klaus Mainz in honourable memory is not enough for us.
We will carry on the passion of our long-time chairman for the idea of town twinning and the promotion of international relations. With his commitment, his winning manner and his mischievous humour, he will continue to be a role model and incentive for us.
We mourn the loss of a loving person and our thoughts and sympathy are with his family – for their loss is even greater than ours.
He who lives in the memory of his loved ones is not dead. He is only far away. Dead is only he who is forgotten.
Immanuel Kant
The friends from the twin towns are also saddened and have highlighted in their letters of condolence the great services of Klaus Mainz, especially his energy and enthusiasm for the town twinning, but above all the connection of people across (national) borders. Read more here:
The association mourns the loss of a long-time board member
At the age of 83, our honorary member and former board colleague Wilhelm Wermes fell asleep yesterday 14.11.2020 after a long and serious illness. For so many years he was our companion, helper and friend in all situations, as a decorator, youth worker, petanque player, picker, listener and memory. We will miss him, our thoughts are with his family.
The Association bids farewell to its founder, long-time First Chairman and Honorary Chairman.
The past few months have been marked by the burden of the old body, which he has now overcome.
In 2016 he was part of our closing ceremony for the partnership meeting in the community centre, in a wheelchair but with tremendous joy until the Slovenian bus left. Keeping Rudi Rübsamen in honourable memory does not do it justice. We will carry on our association’s founder’s fire for the idea of reconciliation and international understanding. We will adhere to his advice to simply do things when we are convinced of them. The youth is the future, it is our task to accompany them on this path with our means as the Association for the Promotion of International Relations. That is what we will do.
We sincerely wish the Rübsamen family that relief may soon overcome their grief.
The association mourns intensely its founder, first president for many years and honorary president Rudi Rübsamen, who passed away on 3 February 2018 after a long illness. His last few months were marked by the souffrances of his age, which he has now overcome.
Again in 2016 he was part of the farewell party of the twinning meeting in the Bürgerhaus until the departure of the Slovenian bus, albeit sitting in his wheelchair, but nevertheless with great joy.
It would be wrong to continue to honour the memory of Rudi Rübsamen in the future. We must pass the torch in order to repeat the intimate conviction of our founder of the association in favour of reconciliation and the understanding between peoples. Ainsi nous suivrons son conseil d’ agir justement dans certaines situations si nous en sommes convaincus. According to him, the future is youth. Therefore, it is our task to accompany them on their way with our means as the association for the development of international relations. We are committed to what he said.
Nous souhaitons vivement à la famille Rübsamen que le sentiment du soulagement des souffrances passées domine le deuil de son cher défunt.
The French Committee and the Association for the Promotion of International Relations Neu-Anspach bid farewell with great gratitude to its founder and long-time president Jeannine Granger.
On the evening of 21.03.2016, we received the sad news from Saint Florent that Jeanine Granger, the co-founder of the town twinning with Saint Florent sur Cher on the French side, passed away in the morning hours. Jeanine Granger and Rudi Rübsamen were linked by a particularly close friendship over decades, and we have them to thank for the existence of our association and the twinning with Saint Florent and Sentjur. Mme Granger suffered from a serious illness in recent years, her death, which was a hard blow for us, was certainly a relief for her. As an honorary member of our association, we will always honour her spirit and legacy and ensure that the close partnership between Saint Florent sur Cher and Neu-Anspach will continue in the future.