Gezina Verkley, Grandma, has passed away.
A few days ago Grandma suffered an intestinal infection, and although surgery was able to remove the infection, her 84 year old body wasn't able to recover. Yesterday, with all 11 children by her side, she died.
The memorial announcement reads:
Quietly at the Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital on Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 with all of her children by her side, Gezina Maria Verkley (nee Stokman) in her 85th year, went to be with her Lord. Survived by her husband Peter and eleven children John (Patti-Jo), and daughter-in-law Anne-Marie, Joe, Paul, Frank (Dorothy), Cecilia, Maria Green (Don), Philip (Doreen), Edward (Nora), Tom (Cathy), David (Patricia) and Jeff (Teresa) and twenty three grandchildren; Lisa, Brian (Leanne), Julie, Sara, Amy, Stephanie, Greg, Chris, Wesley, Tina, Jesse, Kiana, Adam, Steven, Mark, Ben, Patrick, Leahanne, Christian, Scott, Alex, Joshua and seven great-grandchildren; Liam, Faith, Victoria, Brooke, Victoria, Lucas, Justin and many nieces and nephews. Sisters-in-law Truus, Agnes, Caecilia (Holland), Cok (Holland) and brother-in-law John (Meip) and sisters Cecilia Captien (California), Nell (Holland) and predeceased by ten siblings. Gezina lived her life with a kind word for everyone that she met, and always provided a warm welcome to all who came to their home. A loving mother, a devoted wife and a loyal friend. Her warm hugs will be missed by everyone. Visitation will be held at the Denning Bros. Funeral Home in Strathroy on Friday, October 27th, 2006 from 2-4 and 7-9 pm with Parish Prayers at 6:30 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated from All Saints Catholic Parish on Saturday, October 28th, 2006 at 11 am. Interment to follow at All Saints Catholic Cemetery. Donations to the Alzheimer Society or the VON would be greatly appreciated by the family. A tree will be planted as a living memorial to Gezina.
I don't ever remember seeing Grandma with anything other than a smile on her face. And I didn't just see her at happy times like birthdays and Christmas. I used to spend a week at a time there on summer vacation. She'd prepare lunch for everybody, do hours of laundry, tend to her ducks or swans or kittens, and play the piano. Her life must have been hard; born in the early 1920's in Holland, living through WWII, moving to Canada without knowing English, raising eleven kids, and working on a farm. Yet her attitude, like other Dutch people I know, always remained positive.
It was this happy friendly personality that touched so many lives. All of her children-in-law thought of her as