Wilhelmus de Bekker, the Dutch-born Surinamese Roman Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Paramaribo from 2004 to 2014, died on June 3, 2026.
He was 87. Born Wilhelmus Adrianus Josephus Maria de Bekker on April 27, 1939, in Helmond, the Netherlands, he became a Catholic priest and later a bishop in Suriname.
Appointed to lead the Diocese of Paramaribo in 2004, he was consecrated the following year and remained in office until his retirement in 2014. De Bekker died in Paramaribo.