Hendrica Vita “Rita” Juurlink
1924-2020
Rita Juurlink, age 96 – Antigonish
Manor and formerly of St. Andrews.
It is with great sadness we say
goodbye to our loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother who
passed away peacefully on December 21, 2020, at St. Martha’s
Hospital with family by her side.
Rita was born in the Netherlands on
Nov 14, 1924 to Johannes Dekkers and Catharina Bekkers.
As a new bride and mother of a
10-month-old, leaving her entire family behind, she and her husband
made the 9-day trip across the ocean. They immigrated to
Canada on the Volendam. They arrived at PIER 21 in 1951 with hopes of
making their dream of owning their own dairy farm a
reality. Not knowing anyone in Canada or the
language, she worked alongside her husband,
She shared her talent as a seamstress
and taught sewing for many years through the Antigonish Continuing
Education Night classes. She enjoyed sewing and knitting for her
family, making many beautiful garments for her children,
grandchildren, and great grandchildren; as well as knitting baby hats
and donating them to the local hospital. She enjoyed
gardening, biking, swimming, and playing a good game of cribbage with
friends. Throughout her life, she displayed a tremendous amount of
compassion for disabled children. She overcame her fear of
the water and took swimming lessons, which in turn enabled her to work
with these kids at the StFX Aquatic Center. She volunteered
endless hours in the pool. She also volunteered her time for many
years at the Heatherton Activity
Center.
She was a woman of strong faith and a
devoted catholic and was a member of the St. Andrew’s CWL
for 66 years.
Her greatest pleasure in life was
having family gatherings. Her grandchildren and great
grandchildren brought her so much joy. We’ll
remember mama for her love of family, generosity, sharp mind,
determination, strength, courage, and her fierce
independence.
She is survived by her seven
children, Alphonse (Claire), St. Andrew’s; Francis (Betty),
Bayfield; Catherine, Ottawa; Gary (Lerma), Vancouver; Mary Ann,
Quebec; Dorothy (Paul), Teasdale, St. Andrews; and Albert (Wendy), St.
Andrew’s; and daughter-in-law, Linda. She was also
loved and will be dearly missed by 22 grandchildren and 25 great
grandchildren.
She was the last surviving member of
her immediate family. Besides her parents, she was
predeceased in 2011 by her husband of 62 years Henry Albert Juurlink;
her son, John Juurlink, St. Andrews; great grandchild, Seth Murphy;
her brother, Theo Dekkers; and sisters, Maria Kroon, Martina van
Genugten, Petra Vermeltfoort, Doortje Dekkers, and Annie
VanExel.
The family would like to thank
Rita’s caregivers, Betty MacIsaac and Frances
Bowie. They truly were our angels. We also wish to
extend a sincere thank you to the staff in PCU and Palliative Care as
well as Dr. Murphy, Dr Howard, Dr. Brennan, and all the doctors who
provided care to our mom.
A funeral Mass will be held Wednesday
at 3:00pm in St. Andrew’s Church, St. Andrews, with Reverend
Andrew Gillies presiding. The funeral will be recorded and
will be viewable from the funeral home’s website Wednesday
evening. Burial in the parish cemetery.
Donations in Rita’s memory
may be made to the Victoria Order of Nurses or St. Martha’s
Regional Hospital Foundation.
Funeral arrangements are under the
direction of C.L. Curry Funeral Home, Antigonish. Online
condolences: www.clcurry.com
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Hendrica Vita Rita Juurlink 19242020..
Death notice for the town of: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia