Arends remembered as voice of the Village

The Longbeach Village is lined with coconut palm trees.

The foliage is the result of John “Dutch” Martin Arends’ efforts. His longstanding work with the Longboat Key Garden Club led the club to donate the trees to the Village.

The Longbeach Village Association today has more than 150 members who enjoy merry and sometimes boisterous get-togethers at least once a month during season. Arends, who served two terms as the group’s president, had a hand in that presence, as well. He grew the association’s membership by going door-to-door, introducing himself to a nonmember and often leaving with a membership check.

But many of the ways that Arends touched the Village were felt, not seen, through small gestures — like the way he would check on a sick neighbor or keep an eye out for a neighbor’s property while he or she was out of town.

“Dutch was a neighbor whom everyone would love to have,” said past Village Association President Michael Drake.

Arends, of Bradenton and formerly of Longboat Key, died July 30. He was 86.

Born July 21, 1925, in the Netherlands, Arends joined the Dutch Resistance as a teenager during World War II and was later recognized for his courageous efforts. After the country’s liberation, he graduated from the Royal Dutch Military Academy and served two years with the Royal Dutch Grenadiers, in Indonesia.

Arends immigrated in 1952 to the United States and established five retail home-appliance operations in the Fort Lauderdale area that were for many years known as “Dutch’s.” He went on to serve as a regional manager in the insurance industry.

Arends and his wife, Patrizia, fell in love with the Village during a drive down the Key in 1967 and bought the first home they saw in the neighborhood.

Arends served as president of the Longboat Key Garden Club and was a longtime volunteer at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a Division of Ringling College of Art and Design.

Nick Drizos, who lived across the street from Arends in the Village, said that Arends was active in the neighborhood’s beautification efforts and in making sure that the Village was included in the Garden Club’s annual home-and-garden tour.

Arends loved art, music, traveling, gardening, soccer and gourmet cooking, the latter of which often flavored Village potlucks.

“He loved the game of trying to outdo everyone,” Drake said.

In 2009, the Arends moved to Freedom Village, in Bradenton.

“He was missed from the day he moved out of here,” Drizos said.

But even after moving out of the Village, the Arendses’ presence was still felt. In April 2009, the Village Association dedicated a bench to the Arendses. At a dedication ceremony, Arends told the crowd in attendance that he thought of all of them as his friends. Less than a year ago, the bench got a new home overlooking the bay near the town dock in the Village. And, there, Arends’ presence is still seen through a bronze plaque that reads:

“In 2009 the Longbeach Village Association placed this bench in this beautiful setting to honor John ‘Dutch’ Arends and Pat Arends for their tireless work and generous contribution to this feisty Village and the town of Longboat Key. Please, have a seat and reflect on the beauty before you.”

Arends is survived by his wife of 40 years, Patrizia; son, Robert Arends, of Sarasota; daughter, Cyndi Ludeman, of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; sister, Tini Eggers, of the Netherlands; stepdaughter, Gayle Anderson; two grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; three step-great-grandchildren; and four nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, in the Landings Auditorium at Freedom Village, 6406 21st Ave. W., Bradenton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Freedom Village Memorial Scholarship, 6501 17th Ave. W., Apt. W217, Bradenton, Fla., 34209.