It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our Dad/Opa, Theo Gesink.
Theo was born in 1928 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands to Anna and Gustav. He married the love of his life, Mia (late), in 1953. He is survived and dearly missed by their four daughters Mies (Grant), Annelies (Allain), Grace (Kevin), and Kirsten, as well as eleven grandchildren, Allen (Melanie), Mia (Carlos), Rachael, Victoria; Michael, Matthew, Sarah (Reese); Andrew (Tally), Roxanne (Michael), Amanda (Courtney); Anna, and five great grandchildren, Ashton, Amelia, Braydon, Casimir, and a new one on the way. He has joined his sister Fried (late) and will be much missed by his surviving sister Ellie, as well as many other family members and friends.
His life was one of adventure that took him all over the world, including The Netherlands, Indonesia, Rwanda Urundi (now Burundi), the Belgian Congo (now the DRC), England, Cambodia, and finally, Canada, where he settled, firstly in the Vancouver area, then moving to the Montreal area for five years until he was able to come back to his beloved British Columbia.
His career with Volkswagen Canada as Parts and Service Manager for Western Canada spanned many years and was a great source of pride. He remained in touch with his colleagues over the years and always looked forward to the monthly lunches with them, which continued until quite recently.
His deep faith was a cornerstone of his life that sustained and supported him during the difficult and the beautiful times of his life. He was a long-time attendee at the Westminster Bible Chapel and served in many capacities during his years there. He also volunteered with Lighthouse Harbour Ministries for many years, an endeavour that was close to his heart.
His greatest love and source of pride was his family. He was always astounded at the size of the family that had started with Mia and him. As he often said, his life started the day he met Mia. He is with her again.
Theo’s Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 1:00 pm at Elim Village in the Oasis Centre, elimvillage.com/surrey/. The service will be live streamed for those who cannot attend and recorded for later viewing. A link will be posted in the days prior to the service on this site.
In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to Lighthouse Harbour Ministries. sealight.org/index.php/donation/
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Johannes Theodor Gesink September 8th 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Aldergrove, Province: Colombie britanique