Obituary

After a long and full life, Willie passed away peacefully in her 98th year at her residence in Guelph. Willie will be dearly missed by her surviving children; Keith (Pippa Dean), Hubert (Salina Lau), Christine (Larry James), Joanne, and Henrietta (Peter Knowles). She will be lovingly remembered as “Oma” by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, by many nieces and nephews, her brother-in-law Kees Veerman (Southampton), and Anja & Willem (Holland). Willie was predeceased by her devoted husband Jacob after 67 years of marriage (Jaap/Jake d. 2020), her first-born son Bill (d. 1984), sisters Tina and Nan, brothers Huib and Ko, many extended family members, and many good friends. Willie was born on a dairy farm in the countryside of the village of Zwammerdam, the Netherlands. Holland was an occupied country during WW11, and this had a significant effect in how her life was lived. Nothing was wasted! Mom had a keen interest in the world, and an adventurous spirit. She travelled to Jordan, touched down in Morocco, and did an Alaskan cruise. To celebrate their 65th birthdays, mom and her friend Betty dared to do a hot air balloon ride. Mom also enjoyed extensive travels with Dad, who was a willing companion for these adventures. Mom would select and research a destination, then plan and organize their trip. They packed up their camper van and explored many areas of Canada and the USA, enjoying the scenery and meeting and talking with people everywhere. They also flew to Portugal, Turks & Caicos, Cuba, Mexico, Holland and more. Mom’s biggest adventure of all was leaving the Netherlands and travelling to Canada by boat in 1953 to join Jake, who had arrived the year before. Here, Mom and Dad bravely started a new life in a new country, learning a new language and culture. While remaining connected to the culture and people of their country of origin, they were always proud Canadians and grateful for the opportunities afforded by this nation. Mom and Dad initially settled and raised their family in Oakville, followed by a move to their farm on the 4th Line of Erin Township. Mom was an excellent homemaker, partly because of the skills she learned as a girl in school in Holland, but mostly because she was a hard worker and took pride in her home and family. Our house was kept very clean, and was always very well cared for. Mom sewed many of our clothes, and made us home cooked meals. We ate healthy food: rye bread, plain yogurt and kale were staples in our diet long before most people had heard of them. At each one of their homes, beautiful prize winning flower and vegetable gardens were created and maintained. In the early years, all of this was done on a shoe-string budget. Looking back, we kids stand in awe of mom’s ability to helm a household with six children. This was aided by her perceptive ability to see and hear all goings-on. We would think “Mom has eyes in the back of her head”… not much went by her. Mom ran a tight ship, but we were fortunate to be raised by parents whose lives revolved around us. We looked forward to our family Christmas celebrations and annual summer camping trips, all of which were possible because of mom’s excellent organizational skills and her hours of preparation. Mom and Dad made many friends in their new country. Friends, neighbours, and acquaintances from their travels would be welcome to stop in at coffee or tea time, always with a cookie or sweet, to enjoy relaxed conversation with them. Mom lost some recollection in her last few years, but she never lost the spirit that defined her character. She had many friends who continued to visit her, even after moving into the retirement home. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Riverside Glen for their years of kind care. Arrangements have been entrusted to MacKinnon Funeral Home, Acton. There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date.