Parcourez la nécrologie de Betsy Vanden Helm 2024 résidant dans la province Ontario pour le détail des funérailles

Obituary
Betsy was born in Geffen, Nord Brabant, The Netherlands on Oct 31, 1929. She was a twin with her brother Toon.
Betsy (our mother) had five sisters, Aunt An, Aunt Truus, Aunt Rie, Aunt Dor, Aunt Mien, Aunt Marleen and two brothers, Uncle Toon and Uncle Jo. Her youngest sister Marleen died shortly after her nineteenth birthday of leukemia.
Mom and Dad were married in Geffen in 1956 and their “honeymoon” was to immigrate to Canada. They were sponsored by mom’s youngest brother, our Uncle Jo who was already living in Canada. During their first few years Dad worked on various farms in the Newmarket, King City and Aurora areas.
After moving around for a few years, they managed to save enough money for a down payment on a house in Port Credit (now Mississauga).
Together they had four children; Marlene (Malcolm), John (Jacky), Anthony (Alain), and Annette (Henry). Mom had 9 grandchildren; Evan, Alexandra, Olivia, Julia, Jeremy Jorian, Schylar, Henry and Elise and whom she adored and always kept in touch with.
Mom was always hospitable and loved to have relatives over from Holland which was almost every summer when we were growing up. The only grandparent we ever knew was our mother’s father, Jan (our Opa) who also came to Canada to visit us in the summer.
Mom and Dad loved being outdoors in nature and instilled that love in us. As a young family, they often took us on camping trips for the weekend. Four kids in a sub-compact car without AC – we don’t know how Mom did it. They also took us several times to Florida during March Break where we also went camping at Dad’s favourite state parks and trips to Walt Disney World.
In the 1972, they bought a farm near Flesherton Ontario which became the weekend getaway for the family. Dad loved to plant his field of potatoes each Spring and the kids would play in the barn or just disappear for hours and not come back until we were hungry at dinner time. Mom’s favourite past-time of all was to go for a walk down the lane with its rail cedar fence and views out to the fields all the way to the small creek and the hills at the back of the property.
We all loved to hear of the stories about the second world war. When war broke out, Mom was 12 and she thought it was great news because she did not have to go to school anymore.
The first English words that Mom learned was from the Canadian soldiers who were stationed near their village. Mom and her twin brother Toon would barter fresh eggs for the soldier’s corned beef in a can. They would say “Eggs for meat!”. When they got home, they realized that they had no way to open the can because they did not own a can opener.
Living in the south of Holland meant that there was a lot of fighting during the war. The whole family was once forced to stay in a bomb shelter for several intense days and nights of fighting and aerial bombardment. Throughout the war, Mom’s mother took in and cared for other children and sometimes starving men even though their farm yields were barely enough to feed their own family.
Mom and Dad loved to travel. They went on many trips over the years and traveled to many countries which took them to every continent except Antarctica. They both loved to experience different cultures and the adventure of travelling to new places.
Mom was a very warm and affectionate person and always made time for her kids and grandchildren, neighbours and friends. She always had an open-mind and was very generous to everyone. We could always count on her for sage advice to help us through life’s ups and downs. Mom loved to talk and sometimes if she was excited enough, we could barely get a word in edgewise. She was the “Little Engine that Could” and despite her heart condition, she hardly slowed down even in her later years and would not wait for anything. She stayed in her home until she was 93 years old. At Delmanor Retirement Home in Oakville where she lived for the last year and a half, she prided herself on being the fastest resident with her racer-red rollator. We always joked that she had two speeds; off and high. Her favourite book was “The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules” and we think that she broke more rules than she could ever have read about.
Mom, we will miss you so dearly.
Our favorite Oma-isms
“Listen to what I mean… Not what I say”
“I’m not nosy… I just need to know”
“Is that true..?… Think on it”
“I would not give five cents for that.”
When making hamburgers for the kids, “Build it up your own way”
A funeral mass will be held on Friday April 5, 2024 at 11 am at St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church, 1150 Monks Passage, Oakville followed by a private family burial. Family and friends are invited back to Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home for reception at 1:00 pm.

2024

Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home

Décès pour la Ville:Oakville, Province: Ontario

avis deces Betsy Vanden Helm 2024

nécrologie Betsy Vanden Helm 2024

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