Cornelius vanHeerwaarden
July 1, 2018
Cornelius vanHeerwaarden, affectionately known as ‘Kees’ or ‘Van’, passed away peacefully with family at his side and was reunited with his beloved Christina on Sunday, July 1st, 2018 at the age of 87. Born into a large Dutch family in 1931, he was loved by his siblings: Jannetje, Cornelia, Theodora, Jan, Alida, Vera, Bernadina, Maria, Jacobus, Petrus and Clasina. Van was a man of many gifts that he shared with us all. He will always be remembered for the stories he told, the memories he cherished and his generosity. A man with a quick wit, quirky sense of humour and an inspiration to everyone he met. A serious construction accident many years ago took away much of his physical abilities but not his unwavering faith in God, nor his fighting spirit. He faced adversity in a loving, courageous and compassionate manner. Van was a loving father to Jeff (Janet), Gary (Margaret) and Harry (Liz) and very proud Opa to his grandchildren Nicole, Jake, Emily, Luke and Sam. He will be remembered in our hearts forever. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 4th, 2018 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at WESTVIEW FUNERAL CHAPEL, 709 Wonderland Road North, London. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at HOLY FAMILY PARISH, 777 Valetta Street, London, on Thursday, July 5th, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. with reception to immediately follow. In respect of Van’s wishes, cremation will precede the visitation. Private family interment of ashes at St. Peter’s Cemetery. The family would like to say a special thank-you to his loving caregivers at The Village of Glendale Crossing, whom he loved dearly, and the amazing nurses and care team that provided wonderful care and compassion for Van during his final hours. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in memory of Van are asked to consider Diabetes Canada.
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Sending love, hugs and sincere condolences to your family. Uncle Van was a beautiful man with an amazing sense of humour and some very special facial expressions! Many memories of my early years and my Dad and Uncle Van working in the garage together. Many beautiful memories of Uncle Van and Aunt Christine living near us in Mt. Elgin. I always remember a lot of laughing! I know that your Dad will be free of pain and able to dance in Heaven with your Mom. I am sure that your Mom was waiting with open arms. Treasure the memories. Remember the love.
Jeff, Gary, Harry and families. My heartfelt condolences on the passing of your Dad. I will always cherish the memories of him and your Mom and the great times we had at your house when we were kids. Rest in Peace my friend and Godspeed. Your great personality and perseverance were an inspiration to us all. God bless
When we lose a loved one here on earth, we gain an angel in heaven that watches over us. Our most sincere condolences to the entire family.
We would like to express our sincere condolences to you and all of your family for the passing of Kees. We have written a farewell letter on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the Netherlands. If appropriate, we would appreciate it if you could share this letter during his farewell ceremony. We are with you in your thoughts. With love, Piet and Annie van Heerwaarden Dear family in Canada, We, his brothers and sisters from the Netherlands, would like to share a few dear memories we have of our brother Kees. Although we were still young, he was our great example. Kees had an enormous drive to achieve things together, as a team and in harmony . He was the driving force to achieve great results, especially in sports. He shared that drive with us and a lot of other people in the Wieringermeer polder, where his roots lied. While he was in the army and the dykes broke in Holland in 1953, he stood his ground and fought to save other people's lives. We deeply admire his optimistic, straightforward, fair and honest character. Also his huge will to live life to the max has our deepest respect. He was enormously happy with Stien, the love of his life. She was his beacon in times of trouble, until the very end. He was super enthusiastic and happy with all his children and grandchildren. He was very grateful for their support, especially in the period after Stien diseased and often expressed that gratitude and pride in telephone calls to his family in the Netherlands. We lose a great brother and brother in law. On the other hand, we are relieved that his pain has come to an end. He can honorably knock on heaven's door to be united with Stien, the love of his life. In precious memory , his brothers and sisters van Heerwaarden from Holland
Please accept our sympathy to the Family. May God be your 'refuge and strength, A help that is readily found in times of distress.' Psalm 46:1
To the Family: My sympathy goes to all of you during this time of grief. Although "time and unforeseen occurrences affect us all, even death, we have Jesus' promise that our dead ones can live again. Eccl 9:11; John 6:40. For more comfort please visit our website: jw.org and view the faith strengthening video: Is There Hope for the Dead? ðŸ’
(Donated to Diabetes Canada)
(Donated to Diabetes Canada)
(Donated to Diabetes Canada)
(Donated to Diabetes Canada)
(Donated to Diabetes Canada)
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My sincere condolences to the entire family. Van was an incredible man with an amazing sense of humour! His artistic ability was amazing and something i personally loved to see him create! I have had the pleasure of caring for van the last 4 years and I will miss our laughs and his beautiful big smile greatly! Sending my thoughts and prayers.
~ Sherry whalen