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Obituary
Agaatha Gysbertha (Agnes) Griffioen (nee Vanderbeek) passed away peacefully at Faith Manor on Feb 15, 2023.
Agnes was born in Amstelveen in 1935. She was raised on a vegetable farm close to Schiphol airport and was the youngest of 5 children. She was close to all the action during the war – she told many stories about the airport being bombed and about hiding Allied pilots who were shot out their planes. These were all very exciting stories for her children and grandchildren.
After the war, her 2 older siblings immigrated to South Africa and the United States respectively. In 1958, Agnes followed suit after completing her nursing training: she arrived in Toronto Canada and immediately got a job as a nurse in Toronto Hospital.
Mom and dad met in Montargis, France. Mom and dad married on Sept 26, 1959 and mom continued to work while dad finished his university degree. They saved money by acting as an apartment building superintendent where (according to mom) “dad could fix anything -sometimes with just duct tape!.” Once their first child was born, they moved to Willowdale, Ontario which they called home for over 50 years.
Mom loved the Lord, her church, and helping others. Our home was always filled with guests; family, new comers to church or friends that needed some support. Volunteering at her children’s elementary school was very important to her. She attended bible studies, led women’s groups, taught sewing and ran the library at her kids’ elementary school and loved her work as a Pregnancy Care volunteer.
She was passionate about many things: she continued her nursing career part-time when her kids were little to eventually retire as Director of Nursing at Holland Christian Home. Mom fiercely loved her family and was determined to be an excellent mother-in-law, involved in the children and grand-children’s lives. She loved knitting and crocheting, volunteering, and sewing. In her later years she spent many hours in the garden planting, watering, and weeding.
Mom’s last years were defined by cancer and Alzheimer’s. She survived breast cancer when she was 37 and was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. She underwent surgery to have part of her lungs removed but this barely slowed her down; she kept gardening, bike riding, and running after grandchildren. After several concerning incidents, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her hardest battle began. Dad cared for her tenderly, even though this took a heavy toll on him. In October 2022 mom broke her hip and was in and out of hospitals to the end. She spent her remaining days under the excellent care of the doctors and nursing staff at Faith Manor and her family will be forever grateful.
Mom is survived by her husband, Willem, and:
Doug (Claire) Griffioen – Derek & Mackenzie, Colin, Janna
Edward (Trudy) Griffioen – Nikita & Guido, Wyatt & Paige
Carol (Cris) Diomedi – Providence, Merced and Allegra
Carla (Jacob) Bergsma – Denzel, Brandon, Sydney
Tony March (Lorrie + 2019)
She is predeceased by her siblings: Wout, Joe, Bert and Annie and her parents.
Visitation will be held on Friday, February 24, 2023 from 6-9 p.m. at BETHEL CANADIAN REFORMED CHURCH, 11251 Bayview Ave, Richmond Hill, where the Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Highland Memory Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the North York Pregnancy Care Centre would be sincerely appreciated by the family.
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May 8 1935
February 15 2023
Death notice for the town of: Waterdown, Province: Ontario
death notice Agaatha ‘Agnes’ Griffioen May 8 1935
February 15 2023
obituaries notice Agaatha ‘Agnes’ Griffioen May 8 1935
February 15 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Agaatha ‘Agnes’ Griffioen May 8 1935
February 15 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
