Johannes Joseph “Jo” van Oirschot
1927-2019
van Oirschot, Johannes Joseph “Jo”
“Opa”, age 92, of Pleasant Valley, Antigonish
County, passed away on April 4, 2019, in the R.K. MacDonald Nursing
Home, Antigonish.
Born in Boxtel, Netherlands, March 3, 1927, he was the son of
the late Michael and Anna Maria (Schepens) van
Oirschot.
Jo was drafted at a young age into the Dutch forces to fight
in the Indonesian Conflict. After being wounded, he returned
to the Netherlands where he then graduated from Agricultural College,
which began a 59-year life in farming. He immigrated to
Canada in 1952, and in 1957 he married his wife, Johanna
(Ann). Soon after arriving in Antigonish County, he spent
seven years as the farm manager at Bethany. In 1959, they
bought a farm in Pleasant Valley, which remains in the family to this
day. Jo loved sports, both as an athlete and a fan, and had
been a soccer player, runner, and horse jumper, and locally he was
very active in coaching and refereeing. Jo was an integral
part of every organization he was a part of, including Arras Branch 59
of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Nova Scotia Animal Breeders, and the
Federation of Agriculture, implementing standards that remain in
practice today. He was an avid reader and an avid Leafs
fan.
He is survived by his wife, Johanna “Ann”
(Baetsen), children, Ann Marie (late Jim) Tozer, Antigonish; Joey
(Darlene), Pleasant Valley; Madeline (Joe) Barry, Italy; Wilhelmina
(Greg) Hines, Giant’s Lake; Evelyn (Garnet) MacPherson, St.
Andrews; and Tom (Jane), Truro; 21 grandchildren and 7 great
grandchildren; sisters, Ida (Jan) Vermeer, Pleasant Valley; Anne van
Rooy, Netherlands; brother, Frans (Mien), Netherlands; and
sister-in-law, Sjaan van Oirschot.
Predeceased by oldest son, Michael; youngest daughter,
Brigitte; brother William and sister, Wilhelmina.
Visitation will be held Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 PM in
C.L. Curry Funeral Home, 135 College Street, Antigonish.
Funeral Mass will be held Monday in St. Ninian Cathedral, Antigonish,
at 11:00 AM, Reverend Donald MacGillivray presiding. Burial
in the parish cemetery at a later date.
In Memoriam, donations to Arras Branch 59, Royal Canadian
Legion or the Canadian Cancer Society appreciated. Online
condolences: www.clcurry.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Johannes Joseph Jo van Oirschot 19272019..
Death notice for the town of: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia