Maria KOPPERT

Mrs. Maria Veenman September 12, 1918 - December 29, 2008 VEENMAN Maria N. of London and formerly of Chatham went to be with her Lord on Monday, December 29, 2008. Born in Berkel, The Netherlands, 90 years ago, daughter of the late Petrus Koppert and Adriana DeJong. Her husband Murray Veenman predeceased in 1971. Grieving her passing are her children Gary Veenman (Alice) of Elora, Shawnie Wildeboer (Bill) of Markdale, Anna B. Veenman (Stewart Plantinga) of Kincardine, Margaret Spithoff (Klaas) of Burlington, Kees Veenman (Bonnie) of Abbotsford, BC, Mary Veenman (Ken Kennedy) and Pauline Trudell (Marc) of London, 29 grandchildren and 59 great grandchildren. A sister Nees deVogel and in-laws, Gre Koppert, Niek and Co Veenman, Adrie van Bommel, Jannie Veenman all of the Netherlands and many nieces and nephews in Canada and The Netherlands. Predeceased by her brothers, Arie, Pete and Jan and sisters, Sjaan, Janny, Cor and Alie. Marie came to Canada in 1948 with her husband and her 4 eldest children, including six-week old Margaret. In Canada, Marie and Murray were blessed with three more children. Despite typical early immigrant struggles, Marie and Murray immediately loved their new country of Canada. As well as being a proud Canadian, Marie maintained her Dutch roots by frequently travelling to Holland to visit with family. In fact, if one phrase were to sum up the life of Marie, it would be "devotion to family and love of the Lord". After many years of living independently in Chatham, Marie began to suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease. She then spent five years brightening the lives of Mary and Ken in London. During this time, the difficult, but rewarding, task of looking after Marie was lightened immeasurably by the devoted support of her family. The family is also grateful for the support provided by her church family, by Saint Elizabeth support workers, and by McCormick Home Day Program staff. This support enabled Marie to stay in a family setting, until she finally moved to Elmwood Place Nursing Home, in Mary and Ken’s neighbourhood. The family appreciates the wonderful care that Marie received at Elmwood Place Nursing Home in London for over 4 years.Friends will be received for visitation at the Bowman Funeral Home, 4 Victoria Avenue, Chatham (519-352-2390) on Friday, January 2 from 2-4 and 7-9. A private family interment will take at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Chatham. The memorial service will be on Saturday, January 3, 2009 at Ebenezer Canadian Reformed Church, 483 McNaughton Ave E., Chatham at 2:00pm with her grandson, Pastor Ian Wildeboer officiating. Contributions to the Alzheimer Society (research aspects) or Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated. Online condolences are welcomed at www.bowmanfh.ca