Johanna Gezina Lengkeek

Johanna Gezina Lengkeek (nee Hofsink) was born in Hardenberg, The Netherlands on August 21st, 1938, the first of Jan Henk and Zwaantje Hofsink’s nine children. Her fondest memories from her childhood, even through the years of the Second World War, were nature walks with her Dad and younger siblings, and visits with grandparents and aunts. At 16 years old she was taken along with her family to emigrate to Canada, where they settled in Houston, BC. She was sad to leave behind some dear friends and relatives and was never fond of northern BC winters, but she soon settled into school where she won some attention for her speed in track and field events. She got job at Koning’s grocery store in Houston.

While Hanna was working at Koning’s one day, a young man walked in and it was love at first sight for both of them. She was married to Adrianus “Art” Lengkeek on October 29, 1958. After their wedding, they splurged on a honeymoon in Prince Rupert before settling into a cozy home on the Buck River in Houston that was built mostly by Art with the professional assistance of Hanna’s Dad. Their marriage was blessed with seven children, the first five of whom were born during their time in Houston. Hanna lived as a typical homemaker in those years, spending a lot of her time preparing meals for the family and visitors, growing a large vegetable garden with Art’s help, canning food for the long winters, and reading stories to the kids. They took frequent family drives to enjoy nature, and Hanna gathered wildflowers to decorate the home.

In 1969 the family moved south to Chilliwack in search of milder winters, and the last two of their sons were born soon after. Her love of flowers and passion for decorating with pretty things continued to grow, and as her children got older she began to find another outlet for her energy and enthusiasm through volunteering at a senior’s home. Soon after, this turned into a career as an activity director and volunteer coordinator, most of which was spent at the Valleyhaven Guest Home in Chilliwack through the 1980s. She became quite passionate about the many benefits to self and others that could be experienced through the joy of volunteering to help others. In the 1990s her career took a turn, and she spent several years working with Art as a realtor on top of her other work and volunteering.

She spent many years caring for her aging parents and her sister who had cerebral palsy, including some years in which she made daily visits to help them. In between these activities she took great joy in having visitors for meals and tea times, proudly sharing her collections of books and dishes from Country Diary, Beatrix Potter, and the Flower Fairies. She even organized large displays of these items for the local library and for elementary schools, where she also participated as a volunteer “grandma” for kids who didn’t have their own grandmothers present for Grandparents Day events.

Another outlet for her great appreciation of God’s created natural world was the travel that she and Art enjoyed, exploring all over Western Canada and the USA in their annual family summer camping trips, and farther afield in their senior years. They enjoyed exploring different environments in places like Australia, the UK, South Africa, and their old home country The Netherlands, but after their first trip to Hawaii, that became their destination of choice. They visited the island of Kauai numerous times, making dear friends, adopting a home church there, and taking innumerable photos of flowers.

Hanna was known for her enthusiastic story telling and for helping people, her love for nature and pretty decorations, and her dedication to serving the Lord. She loved her children and grandchildren deeply and was an example to many of what marriage should look like.

She will be dearly missed by all who knew her, but especially by her beloved husband Art, their 7 children and their spouses, 28 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hendersonsfunerals.com for the Lengkeek family.