de Jonge, Yvonne Maureen
May 15, 1942- September 25, 2021
Yvonne de Jonge passed away peacefully with family and close friends by her side at her home in Ottawa on September 25, 2021. She was in her 80th year. Cherished mother of Adrienne and Angela Coddett. Dear daughter of the late Cyril and Evelyn de Jonge. Beloved sister of Daphne de Jonge, Jean Henry of Toronto, Shirley de Jonge of Florida, brother Cyril de Jonge of Toronto, and the late Maude Eversley, Lolita Congraves, and Joyce Leander. Also survived by her many nieces and nephews. She is greatly missed by good friends like Ruth Brydon, Millicent Byrne, Jennifer Griffith, Irene Healy, and Yvonne Harper and numerous people whose lives she touched. Born in Belladrum in the region of Mahaica/Berbice in Guyana, Yvonne was the youngest of Cyril and Evelyn de Jonge’s children. She emigrated to Canada in 1963, residing in Toronto and then Montreal before settling in Ottawa where she lived for the past 54 years. In the 1970s, Yvonne’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to co-found Nu Skin Hair Fashions, a small business to serve the needs of Ottawa’s emerging Caribbean community. She was among the pioneers who established the community organization, Impact Heritage, to help youth embrace black culture and identity. A lover of music and sports, she frequently volunteered in the early days of the Ottawa Jazz Festival and the Rogers Cup. An alumna of Carleton University, Yvonne joined the Federal Public Service, retiring from Statistics Canada in 2008. She then checked off the remaining items on her bucket list. She became a snowbird and an adventurous traveller, setting foot on five continents. Passionate about tennis, Yvonne was rightly proud to have realized her ultimate dream of attending all four grand slam tournaments before joining the ancestors. Walk good, Yvonne! A memorial gathering in her honour will take place on Saturday October 2 from 11am to 3pm at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod Street, Ottawa. Attendance in-person is limited and guests must register on this website below. A special thanks to the community of Healthcare professionals on 7 West of The Ottawa Hospital General Campus, her nurse Benny, and Dr. Priscilla Bright for the wonderful care given to our dear Yvonne. Donations in her name can be made to The Black Canadian Scholarship Fund, Jaku Konbit or Black History Ottawa using the links provided below.
———>>> Black Canadian Scholariship Fund <<>> Jaku Konbit <<>> Black History Ottawa << Hulse, Playfair & McGarry Inc
Death notice for the town of: Ottawa, Province: Ontario