Heiman Vrenkel was a son of Mozes Vrenkel and Grietje de Jong. He married Roosje Tof in 1929. The couple lived at 1 Koningdwarsstraat in Ter Apel. They had three children: Johanna, Greta and Mozes (known as Maurits).
Together with his father and his brother Daniel, Heiman ran the 'Veenkoloniale Zakkenhandel Fa. M. Vrenkel en Zonen' at the west side of the Hoofdstraat, a business in bags, rags, scrap metal etc. It was a thriving business. Heiman, his father and his brother Daniel were prominent in Jewish community life in Ter Apel.
Heiman Vrenkel was made to hand in a bike in Ter Apel. In the attic of the De Wilskamp building in Ter Apel, a card was found in April 2004 that Heiman Vrenkel had written to a relative in Ter Apel on 20 November 1942:
'We're on the transport. Mom and dad are with us. We are all well. Best wishes and regards from all of us. HV.'
D. Wolf, De kille Ter Apel. Geschiedenis van de Joodse Gemeente Ter Apel (Ter Apel 1998) 76, 89, 99
In addition, a Jokos file (number 8418) on this family is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.