Dear Marij and Van Den Akker family,
Please know that I send my deepest condolences to you and to all of the family in Holland. Gerrie was such an important part of the Canadian cousins staying connected to our roots in Holland. In the many times that she came to visit we were always excited to see her. Celebrations of important occasions were always more fun with her in the crowd.
Our mother loved having Gerrie come to visit – she was an easy guest who was happy to sit at the kitchen table and just talk and laugh, cook, share a meal and a beer. At one time Mom had a dog that was not particularly friendly and would bark wildly at strangers – Gerrie showed up for a surprise visit and that dog didn’t bark once. Gerrie teased Mom that it was a great guard dog. “Dogs know who are good people” is all Mom said.
I have memories of backyard barbques at our family home and Gerrie teasing our father and Dad loving the banter. Mom and Dad never really became Canadian. They were Dutch to the end. Gerrie brought a huge load of memories/connections that Mom and Dad enjoyed talking about with her. She was a joyful reminder of the life and families they had left behind in Holland.
One time when visiting Holland, Gerrie was taking us for the day to Amsterdam and she got lost (of course). We stopped to ask for directions from a farmer and she thanked him, rolled up her window looked at us and said “ya now - I didn’t understand a word he said” - who knew Holland had dialects that were so different from each other? She also teased us that even Dutch cows were much smarter than others because they had to learn to swim through polders. She took us to markets, introduced us to paal, croquets and mayo on frites and so many other things and cousins.
Others in my family were better at staying in contact but all of us are so very sad to know that she is gone. She brought smiles, joy and laughter to all of us and we cared deeply about her. There is much love wrapped up in our memories of her.
Elizabeth (Betty) Lam-Van Den Akker
