WILLEMSTAD – Peter van Leeuwen, a pioneering environmental activist and founder of the Curaçao-based environmental organization Stichting Schoon Milieu op Curaçao (SMOC), has passed away in the Netherlands at the age of 69. Van Leeuwen died on Sunday, July 13, after battling an aggressive malignant brain tumor, his wife Antoinette confirmed.
Van Leeuwen was best known on the island for his tireless campaign against air pollution from the Isla oil refinery, using legal avenues and public advocacy to raise awareness and demand change. His efforts earned him both admiration and resistance within the Curaçao community.
“He was always reading, writing, editing photos—he lived digitally,” said Antoinette. She explained that although Van Leeuwen had shown signs of recovery after surgery for brain cancer six months ago, his health rapidly declined in recent weeks. “A month ago, he lost movement on one side of his body. When his vision failed and he could no longer read or use his computer, it hit him hard.”
Despite spending his final years in Wassenaar, Netherlands, Van Leeuwen remained closely connected to Curaçao. He founded SMOC to educate the public about the health and environmental consequences of refinery emissions. In partnership with his attorney Sandra in 't Veld, he led numerous legal efforts to hold polluters accountable and to push for cleaner air for Curaçao’s residents.
“Peter was passionate, creative, musical, and always full of ideas,” Antoinette shared. “We still had plans together. But suddenly, everything is gone.”
Van Leeuwen’s funeral will be held on Tuesday at Landgoed De Horsten in Wassenaar—a nature estate that formerly served as the royal residence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. The service will take place at Theehuis De Horsten, a scenic tea house on the grounds.
“We didn’t want a traditional funeral home. That wouldn’t have suited Peter. Nature does,” Antoinette said.
Van Leeuwen leaves behind a legacy of environmental advocacy that helped put Curaçao’s air quality issues in the spotlight and inspired a generation of activists.
