Yvonne DE RIDDER

Files, Yvonne de Ridder Born Antwerp Belgium, 1913, devoted wife of Lt. Col. Roger B. Files USAF (Ret.), died peacefully at Air Force Village West in Riverside California on Sunday October 16, 2005. Yvonne de Ridder Files was the author of "The Quest for Freedom," the autobiography of her experiences as a member of the Belgian Resistance. She was a true heroine of WWII. After the occupation of Belgium, she joined espionage and sabotage networks, and began the work of the Resistance. She hid downed Allied airmen, cached explosives in her basement, and rode a bicycle laden with sabotage materials through occupied Antwerp under the noses of the Gestapo. She was betrayed and arrested by the German SS in July 1944 and spent many months in solitary confinement, where she was subjected to daily interrogations and beatings. Although condemned to death by hanging, she was liberated 10 days before the execution date. Yvonne was decorated for heroism by the governments of Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Mrs. Files first came to the United States in 1950 and immediately sought U.S. citizenship. She resided in the Los Angeles area for over 50 years and was a former President of the Belgian Club of L.A. active in the World Affairs Council and often a speaker at service and school groups, recounting her war experiences and love of the United States. She is survived by her husband, four stepchildren, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Published in the Los Angeles Times on 11/13/2005.