1931 – 2023

In the early morning of April 5th, 2023, our beautiful Dutch flower Johanna, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully, in the company of family.

Mom was born in Rotterdam in 1931, the youngest of 3 sisters. She experienced the bombing of her hometown as a young girl during World War 2. However, life took a better turn when she met her future husband Hans in 1948. He was on a bicycle tour of Europe, and was completely charmed by this lovely young woman. They were married two months later, a union that would last for nearly 75 years. After a few years of life in Sweden, and the birth of their first child Ann-Marie, they decided to move to Canada in 1955. They settled in Prince Albert, SK, and Hans found work in the plumbing trade almost immediately.

However, the first years were tough. With perseverance, they began to prosper, and their next 3 children came along (Dennis, Eric, and Paul.) In 1977, they packed up and moved to the greener fields of Nanaimo, B.C. Together they embarked on many adventures, including building and running a large hotel (the Northgate Inn.) Johanna gave many years of volunteer work to Prince Albert and Nanaimo.The unexpected passing of Ann-Marie in 2008 was a great loss, and Mom was forever changed by this. However, her sparkle, and love for life and her family remained constant.

Mom told me a story once, about when she was a young girl. Her father was a soccer referee, and he would take Johanna to watch the game with him. She would sit down with a bag of peanuts, and watch her father with the players, and she felt completely happy, not a care in the world.

She is at peace, now. Johanna was a beautiful lady, inside and out. She loved all of us, with a warmth and devotion that I will never forget. She is inside our hearts, a part of who we are. Thank you for everything, Johanna.

Service to follow at later date.

• Date : 2023-04-05