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Unexpectedly at Bluewater Health, Sarnia in Lambton County, Maggie died when her heart stopped on Friday, February 28, 2025 of Wyoming, Ontario and formerly of Bayfield, Mt. Carmel and Hensall in her 89th year. Beloved wife of the late Albert Visscher (2017). Dear mother of Landa (Ram) Coletta, Bart Visscher, Charlie (Judy) Visscher, and Teresa (Jason) Ainslie. Proud Oma of Dina (Mark), Monika, Viktor (Jaimee); Caleb, Nathan, Chloe; Stephanie (James), Nicholaas (Liz); Emily (Alyssa), Maggie (Ricardo), Madeline (Jibin); and great-Oma of seven. Dear sister and sister-in-law of Ina Boer and Gerda Weijenberg (Gert Kolkman). Predeceased by her parents Klaas and Lammigje (Zomer) Boer, and a sister Miny Boer. Fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews and close friends.
Margaret (Maggie) was born in The Netherlands and in 1952 she finished high school and learned English, yet she was unable to begin nursing school until she was 19 years old.
She was a receptionist, as a telephone operator in ‘Bethesda’ Hospital in her hometown of Hoogeveen. By 1958 she had graduated with a diploma as a nurse and few months later became a staff nurse in the surgical wards in Rotterdam. She began private English conversation lessons in Rotterdam, then returned home to Hoogeveen working as an assistant head nurse the same year she married her husband, Albert Visscher.
A few months after their first child was born, Albert and Maggie immigrated to Canada where she worked part time in Listowel Memorial Hospital. Another child was born and they moved to Hensall, where she worked as a staff nurse in South Huron Hospital, where two more children were born by 1964. Eventually the family moved to a farm in Tuckersmith Township and Maggie worked for nearly 2 years in Clinton before accepting a position at Stratford General Hospital in OBS and coronary care. All the while continuously upgrading her education, including obstetrics and paediatrics courses, a coronary care course, and she also began the first two undergraduate courses at UWO in London. By 1973 Maggie began a teaching position at the School of Nursing in Stratford related to medical-surgical and psych nursing. By 1974, she graduated Social Sciences with a B.A. at UWO and a year later she began working with Dr. C.J. Wallace. By 1975 she completed a Nurse Practitioners course at McMaster University, studied cardiology, hypertension, birth control, psycho-pharmacology and by end of 1978 her desire to become a physician came, and she submitted her application. She was not accepted as she was considered ‘too old’ at age 42 due to her remaining years of preserved service. Her extensive education and experience were not considered ‘eligible’, plus being a woman did not help. She was unable to fight that system, however, she did fight the establishment with a few other women for more rights for Nurse Practitioners by writing letters and several drives to Toronto to fight for better pay and responsibility for N.Ps. The government finally agreed, yet Maggie and her colleagues were not eligible as it would only apply to new graduates. If these ladies wanted this same big pay raise that they fought for, they were required to go back to school for one year despite their education and proven records. Maggie refused, which enhanced her desire into politics, but she was happy the future was better for new graduates.
Our mother fought for everything she acquired, and our father supported her in every way. She enjoyed politics immensely and taught her family to stay connected to our values and beliefs and be able to defend them, especially at the voting box. We would discuss health care cases at the kitchen table or we would hear her get up at night to meet Dr. Wallace on a coroner call. All of this was just a normal day for us. She loved her family, her cars and driving them to their limit, dancing, nail polish colours, good hair days, music, reading a variety of books, art, and creating fun garden parties. Her flower gardens were weedless, she canned much of our food in our early years, and she loved each cat in her life. She was immensely passionate and devoted to the world of health care, rarely a complaint with many long shifts.
Margaret Visscher was a strong, bold, direct yet respected, always well-dressed woman, who looked and acted younger than her numbered age. She was always aware of the landscape in an era who didn’t always respect working mothers or stay at home (farm) fathers…but she did it anyway. She was our mother, a wife, a sister, a sister-in-law, a friend, a daughter, and a powerhouse in the medical field. She worked hard every day to be better in her personal health care and kept current with new health ideas, always increasing her knowledge. She will be terribly missed.
Friends may call at the Haskett Funeral Home, 456 Main Street South, EXETER on Friday, March 7th from 12:00-1:00 PM where the funeral service will be held at 1:30 PM. View the service live, or at your convenience by visiting www.facebook.com/haskettfh. Spring interment Bayfield Cemetery, Bayfield.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the London Health Sciences Foundation – Cardiac Program would be appreciated by the family.
“Margreeth zal voor altijd in ons hart blijven”
(Margaret will be in our heart forever)
Offer Condolence for the family of VISSCHER: Margretha ‘Maggie’ Pieternella (Boer)
2025
Death notice for the town of: Exeter, Province: Ontario
death notice VISSCHER Margretha ‘Maggie’ Pieternella Boer 2025
obituaries notice VISSCHER Margretha ‘Maggie’ Pieternella Boer 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of VISSCHER Margretha ‘Maggie’ Pieternella Boer 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
