Our dear mother, grandmother, great-grandmother Rose died on Tuesday, January 17 at 87 years of age. Cortes Island, and mostly BlueJay Lake Farm, was her home from 1989 to 2013. She spent many happy hours there; puttering away in her garden, collecting and washing eggs, watching the children play and grow, making tapioca pudding, tidying the kitchen, bringing peanuts to the shop or sawmill to sit and eat with Henry and whoever else joined them. She enjoyed the peace and beauty of the farm, her quiet cabin, being close to family, and the many ways she could make herself useful. She did not venture out into the community often, but for those fortunate to get to know her, she was dearly loved.

Rose was born on May 29, 1929 in The Netherlands. In 1951 her and her husband John landed at Pier 21 in Halifax to start their new life together. They spent two happy years in Okotoks, Alberta before settling in Chilliwack. This is where their children John (Liz), Henry (Margaret), Margaret (Gordon), and Marion (Alan) were born. In 1989 she came for a visit to Cortes, and chose to stay and make her home there. In 2013, after falling and breaking a hip, she returned to Chilliwack where her other children resided, and spent her remaining years being cared for in Cascade Lodge.

Rose was kind, resilient, and forgiving. She struggled with episodes of mental illness and life was not often easy for her. Although it gives pleasure to imagine her free from a worn-out body, with a clear mind and at peace, she is deeply missed.