Obituary for Johanna van Helvoort
Age 93 passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 6, 2016 at the White Hills Long Term Care Centre, Hammond Plains – Halifax, Nova Scotia,following a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Throughout she maintained her will to live, her sense of humour and held true to her life’s credo to “do your best”. Born on April 18,1922 in Scheveningen, Holland, Johanna was the daughter of Jacob Spaans (1882-1968) and Martina Westerduin-Spaans (1882-1931). She was predeceased by her
husband Jeff van Helvoort in 1997 after 48 years of marriage. One of nine children, she was the last surviving member of eight siblings: Chartrina, Kniertje, Martine, Martinus, Chielie, Jacob, Cornelius, and Pieter. She is survived by her two grandchildren Zachary and Alexander, her ex-daughter-in-law Elizabeth Allard, her son Gus van Helvoort, his partner Carol MacMillan and many nieces and nephews. As a young woman, she survived the occupation of Holland during WWll, joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in England and was deployed to Indonesia where she stayed for three years. Here she met her future
husband, Jeff van Helvoort and they married in Holland in September 1949. During the next ten years they lived in Holland and Ethiopia and travelled extensively throughout the Middle East and Europe. Johanna, Jeff and Gus immigrated to Canada in April 1959 through Pier 21 in Halifax and settled in Montreal. Johanna and Jeff moved to Nova Scotia in 1989 to their seaside paradise in Seabright. After Jeff’s death in 1997, Johanna moved to Waterfront Drive in Bedford where she continued to entertain and make new friends. Johanna will be missed by the many people whose lives she enriched with her energy and charm. She loved
to cook and entertain and her tastes ranged from spicy Indonesian food to Dutch “stamppot met rookworst” to sweet French patisserie. And there was always time for a cup of extra strong coffee. Her warm, generous heart befriended others easily with her unique humor and open hospitality. She was a proud advocate of her Dutch heritage and took every opportunity to highlight her homeland. Her devotion to family and friends was a source of pleasure and affection. She loved gardening, travelling, long conversations, sailing, living by the sea, reading, entertaining family and friends and her cat ‘Angel’. The family
expresses utmost gratitude to the staff of White Hills and to Dr. Barry Clarke, for their kind and concerned care of Mom. She was a resident for 5 years and it was the perfect place for her to live in safety and comfort. In addition, a special thanks to Leone Fougere who supported Mom during her stay, made every day special, became her friend and added
tremendous joy in this stage of her life. Three of her nieces and nephews, Johanna van Ockenburg, Lydia Zanen, Robert de Kloe and their families were especially close to her in these final years and the family would like to thank them for their continued love and support. As per her wishes, she was cremated; a celebration of life will be held in the Ronald A. Walker Funeral Home, 13549 Peggy’s Cove Road, Upper Tantallon on Friday, August 12, 2016 starting at 11:00 a.m. Interment will take place at St. Peters Anglican Church in Hackett’s Cove. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society, or the charity of your choice. Online condolences can be made to www.rawalker.ca
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Johanna
van Helvoort – 2016.source
avis deces Johanna
van Helvoort – 2016- avis mortuaire Johanna
van Helvoort – 2016