Stumbling stone for Maria Wackers

Maria Wackers was born in Kevelaer in February 1906 as the second child of Peter August van Aaken (master carpenter) and Bernhardine van Aaken. In 1929, Maria van Aaken married the master baker Josef-Franz Wackers. In addition to the bakery, they also ran a confectionery and the "Zum goldenen Krug" restaurant in Maasstraße, where they also rented out guest rooms. Between 1930 and 1944, the Wackers gave birth to six children. When their sixth child was born, the husband and four of her brothers were already serving in the war on the Eastern Front. The Wackers family shared the fate of many whose family lives were torn apart during these difficult times. As the effects of the war became more and more noticeable in Kevelaer, the two daughters Hilde (12 years) and Elisabeth (seven months) were evacuated by train to the Gau Magdeburg in October 1944, accompanied by an aunt. There they were assigned to different families and housed. After the evacuation order for Kevelaer, Maria also left Kevelaer in December 1944 together with her eldest sons Franz (14 years) and Josef (10 years), as well as her brother Father Augustin, on a train with other evacuees in the direction of Gau Magdeburg. The youngest sons of the Wackers family, Karl and Paul, had been taken away by the housekeeper

Käthe Verhoeven was taken to her relatives in Kervendonk and the train in which the members of the Wackers/van Aaken family were traveling was badly damaged during the bombing of Osnabrück. As a result, Maria suffered a nervous breakdown and was admitted to the Uchtspringe mental hospital. The other family members arrived safely at their destination in Gau Magdeburg. Maria Wackers spent Christmas 1944 with her family after her sister Margarete brought her home to recover. At the beginning of 1945, after Maria learned that her husband was seriously wounded in the military hospital following a leg amputation, her condition deteriorated noticeably in the cramped living conditions, so that the family was ultimately forced to take her back to the only available hospital in Uchtspringe. 13 days later, the surprising news came that Maria Wackers had died. Josef-Franz Wackers, who was unable to walk, then made his way to the funeral in Uchtspringe, 60 km away, with other family members under the most difficult conditions.

However, he arrived two days too late as he had been given the wrong burial date. As a result, the relatives were no longer able to take their leave at the funeral, but only to receive the notification with the number of the grave. Due to extensive research by the family, it is now recognized that Maria Wackers, née van Aaken, from Kevela, was a victim of the decentralized National Socialist euthanasia programme in the Uchtspringe mental hospital.

The Stolperstein for Mrs. Maria Wackers was laid in front of the house at Maasstraße 35 in November 2016. The stone was laid by the artist and initiator of the project, Gunter Demnig.