Sjoerd Laanstra

With family by his side, our Dad went to be with the Lord on April 17, 2026. Stu was born in Ureterp, Friesland, Netherlands and grew up in the village of Drachtstercompagnie. Stu was predeceased by Doetje (Dora), his wife of 64 years and survived by his children: Shirley Adams, Ettie (Brian) Rodda, John (Shirley) Laanstra, Cathy (Bryan) Saretske. Walter (Caroline) Laanstra, and Jim (Patti) Laanstra as well as 15 grand-children and 25 great-grandchildren.

Our family would like to thank Dr. Roux & the Waverly staff that genuinely cared for our dad/pake over the years. In recent months and numerous admissions to CGH, our family would like to express our appreciation to the doctors, nurses, and care aids that cared for our dad/pake above & beyond.

Celebration of life to be held at City Life Church - 46641 Chilliwack Central Road on May 15 at 11am.

Webcast link: https://www.youtube.com/live/QPLhf3npn5M

To read more go to www.brianrodda.ca/pake

Memorial Video: https://youtu.be/hBnREgz0FRU

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to these charities that dad loved:

Compassionate Neighbourhood Health Partners Society (CNHPS). They provide a variety of support services for older adults, so that no older adult needs to feel isolated. Give to [email protected]

City Life Church Missions - Phillipines Bible School/Children's Home (Orphanage). Give to [email protected]

Advance International. They support Haiti with 400 hot, homemade meals per week at a cost of $2 a plate. They support India with 5 village Wells to deliver clean water at $3,800 per well. They plan to do a memorial well in mom & dad's honour. They supply Nepal with 10 water pumps in remote areas at $1,400 each. Give to [email protected]

Stu Laanstra January 6, 1934 ~ April 17, 2026

By Bella Lanfgfield

UFV Student who had weekly 1 hour conversations with dad via phone calls over 6-8 weeks in 2021 as part of her volunteer hours needed during Covid. Bella is from Australia and created this memoir based on Dad's story of his life from those conversations.

Connie Stam from CNHPS created a way to match Seniors with UFV Students to decrease isolation & loneliness for Seniors during Covid & it's restrictions.

Early Years

Stu Laanstra was born in Holland in 1934. He is the third oldest of fifteen children. There are seven boys and eight girls. Sadly, one of the baby girls was stillborn. When Stu was a baby, he had difficulty keeping his milk down and was becoming ill. His face was turning blue. Luckily, one of their neighbours, an older woman, suggested they give Stu buttermilk. This was the golden ticket as Stu thrived after receiving buttermilk. Even today, Stu enjoys buttermilk as a side to his meals. Both sets of Stu's grandparents lived nearby in the Netherlands. When Stu was a kid, he would bike for an hour to get to his grandparents' house in a nearby town. Stu says an hour bike ride was not long when he was a kid, as he had plenty of energy.

Stu recalls going to primary school during the day and then worked a paper route after school until super time. Although Stu did not enjoy the writing aspect of school he did enjoy arithmetic and reading. Stu completed eight years of formal schooling: four years in grade 1 and four years in grade 2. Stu grew up speaking the Frisian language, and then once he arrived at school, they wanted him to learn Dutch. The class sizes were approximately 30 to 35 children and 1 teacher. The students remained with the one teacher who taught them a variety of subjects such as History, Nature, and English. Stu enjoyed learning about the nature stories. Although the teachers could discipline the children during this time, Stu says his teacher and the headmaster were both nice. Besides, Stu was a well-behaved student who stayed out of trouble. However, Stu does remember an occasion when he did break the rules. The headmaster lived right next to the school with only a fence dividing the schoolyard and his house. The strawberries growing in the headmaster's garden caught Stu's eye, so he proceeded to hop the fence. Unfortunately, Stu was caught and got in trouble with both the headmaster and his father. Stu laughs, calling it "double trouble." Stu cites that the strawberries were delicious though.

In the schoolyard, the children would often play marbles or ride on their bicycles. Stu was more of an introverted child. He remembers not hanging out with many of the kids.

However, he did have one good friend named Geerd de Jong. Stu says they would chase and talk about the girls. They also liked to play horseshoes together. Following these years at school, Stu worked to help support his family.

He lived on a farm with his family, and they ran a small grocery store out of one of the bedrooms in the house. His father, John, oversaw gathering the items for the customer and running them through the till. Stu's mother, Ettje, ensured the items were stocked with the supplies the customers needed. Stu says the whole family would also help deliver items to the customers. Stu explains that in the Netherlands, it was common for a farm and house to all be under one roof. Therefore, the stalls for the animals and the family home would be all one dwelling. Stu was close to his mother growing up. He admits she was a "Mother out of millions." To celebrate birthdays when Stu was younger, his mother would cook him a fried egg for breakfast. This was a treat as usually the eggs from the farm were sold. His birthday breakfast would also include Zwieback bread. This is a popular bread in the Netherlands. Stu also remembers baking this bread at his job in the bakery.

At 14 years old, Stu got a job working in a bakery for four years. This job required him to move in with the baker and his wife. Therefore, Stu could only return home to his family on Saturdays. On Saturdays, Stu would deliver his wages for the week to his mother. The money he earned working at the bakery was his contribution to his family. Stu recalls the countless early mornings spent preparing the bread, such as pumpernickel, rye and cakes for customers. Oftentimes, Stu would deliver the bread to the houses of customers. Stu says he liked that he got to meet lots of people while working at the bakery. Stu's first encounter with alcohol was on-duty delivering bread. As he knocked on a customer's door, a newly engaged couple was celebrating their engagement and invited Stu in stating "Baker, come in!" Stu remembers them offering him some alcohol, and so Stu politely accepted. Unfortunately, this was also the time Stu experienced his first hangover. Stu shares that he had a headache for the rest of the day. Stu's time at the bakery fostered his love for baking. Although Stu did not return to work in a bakery, he continued to bake cakes as presents for his friends and family.

At the age of 21, Stu was required to join the Army for a year and a half. Stu explains how three boys from every family, who were eligible, were required to enroll. The three eldest brothers were selected, Stu being one of them. The other boys in the family were still examined for eligibility, but only as a back-up in case a war occurred. One of Stu's brothers was in the Airforce while the other also remained on the base. During training, Stu had to go to the desert in the middle of the winter in a tent. Since Stu was considered the breadwinner for the family, the Army paid his family a full-time wage for his services in the Army. Stu was a cook in the Army which aligned with his experience working in the Bakery for four years prior. Stu says the Army was an easy crowd to please as they were happy as long as there was food on the table.

The Journey to Canada

Stu immigrated to Canada in 1959 at the age of 25 years old. His wife, Dora was 30 years old at the time of their move. At the time, they had two daughters, Shirley aged 2 years old, and Ettie aged 9 months old, along for the journey. Stu chuckled when asked how the children were on this long journey, he says "there were no complaints" referring to their age. Dora was also pregnant with their third child, John. The transportation from the Netherlands to Canada consisted of a ship for nine days and then a train from Halifax. Stu recalls Dora feeling very 'seasick' during this trip. Most likely due to the combination of the pregnancy and being at sea. Once they arrived in Halifax in May, they received a free meal. This meal was potatoes with the skins still on them. In Canada, this would not cause anyone to bat an eye, however, this was very different from how they eat potatoes in the Netherlands. Stu says in the Netherlands they would never eat the skins of the potatoes. In fact, potato peels are what they feed the pigs in the Netherlands! Stu admits it was an adjustment, however, he now finds that he too enjoys the skins of potatoes. Stu, Dora, and the two children rode the train overnight through the canyons. Stu recalls seeing the green grass and the dandelions from the train window.

Since Dora's parents had immigrated to Chesterville, Ontario five years prior, Stu requested for the train ticket from Halifax to make a stop in Ontario so they could visit. Dora's parents lived in a big farmhouse in Chesterville. This visit ended up being for six months. After his father-in-law picked them up from the station, they did not want them to leave. Stu agreed that it made sense to stay with them for the 6 months as their furniture was on a second shipment that took six months longer than their tourist ship to arrive in Canada. This time spent with his in-laws allowed for them to learn a bit of English. Stu recalls going to a cattle auction and hearing a cattle auctioneer speak for the first time. This was a new experience for Stu as they do not have cattle auctions like that in the Netherlands.

Out of Stu's fourteen siblings, four immigrated while ten remained in the Netherlands. The four that immigrated to Canada all settled down in the Agassiz and Chilliwack area. Also, one of Dora's sisters and her husband had already moved to Agassiz, British Columbia. The decision to move to Canada and settle down in Agassiz derived from Dora's sister and brother-in-law telling them they should move out here to work on the farm with them as there is plenty of space. Stu raised his own family here. Stu admits he enjoys living in the country rather than a big city which makes Agassiz the perfect place.

Dora/Doetje

Stu was married to his wife, Dora, or Doetje in Dutch, for 64 years. Dora was born on May 17th, 1929 and passed away on December 19th, 2019. They spent 68 years together. Before their marriage, Stu and Dora had dated for 4 years. Stu says Dora was a "gift of God." He explains that they never fought, and he would "thank the Lord every day for his little woman." In the Netherlands, Stu and Dora were living in the same neighbourhood. Stu already knew Dora's brother, however, only saw Dora in passing at church or through friends. Stu had met Dora nine months prior through one of Dora's friends who Stu was dating at the time. Stu says he could never catch Dora at home, so he asked her brother, John, to set up a meeting for the two of them. John was happy to do so and arranged for Stu to be Dora's date to her cousin's wedding. Stu remembers this first date being May 1st. Stu was 18 years old at the time and Dora was 23. On this first date, Stu admits both he and Dora knew they wanted to be together. Stu says he and his "little sweetheart" were perfect for each other. Their relationship was "arranged from heaven." Stu says he learned a lot from her. He expresses that she was a "wise little woman."

Stu and Dora were engaged for three years. Stu recalls wanting to get married sooner, however, his family still needed him as he was the breadwinner for them. Stu and Dora were married in 1956 in Holland. It was January when they wed. Stu mentions that during this time it was the beginning of the missiles by the Russians in the Cold War. Stu remembers seeing a steady light in the evening sky and then it went away. The Russians had planned this to test the missiles and then have them drop back into the ocean. Stu and Dora were initially married in the courthouse on Saturday afternoon. However, their wedding was not official until Sunday afternoon when it was blessed in the church. Following the blessing, they celebrated by having a small party with family. Since Stu was the breadwinner for his family, all his wages from the bakery and the Army had gone to support his family. Therefore, once Stu and Dora were married, they both had to start from the ground-up to support themselves, and then eventually six children.

Family Life

Stu enjoyed being a father and husband. Stu and Dora created a big family of their own consisting of three daughters and three sons: Shirley, Ettie, John, Cathy, Wally, and Jim. Stu laughed stating he wanted fifteen children of his own, however, Dora did not want that many children. Stu appreciates the liveliness of big families. To Stu, "children are the greatest blessings of the Lord." He emphasized that he and Dora raised their children together. He enjoyed doing the cooking as he had the skills from his experience working in the bakery and the Army. Stu says he would do lots of the cooking for the family as his wife was busy too with the six children.

Stu was able to return to the Netherlands often to visit his family out there. After his move to Canada, Stu did not return to visit for 15 years. Stu notes the Netherlands had changed quite a bit in 15 years. The dirt roads had evolved into highways and big buildings were built to accommodate the population. Although the Netherlands is a small country, Stu reveals it has a large population of 17 million people. However, even after being gone for 15 years, a lady who was washing the windows in his neighbourhood recognized his voice and immediately knew it was Stu. Stu remarks that maybe he has a unique accent. Eventually, his children returned to the Netherlands to learn and visit the places where their parents came from.

The family and Stu celebrate a family day on December 5th where they rent out a room and celebrate together. They eat dinner together and play games. Stu says the older children plan games for the younger children. Stu is eager to be able to return to see his family again after covid-19.

The Lord

Stu grew up in a family that loves the Lord. At the ages of 4 and 5, Stu was rather timid and prayed a lot. He prayed for the Lord's protection stating: "Lord, protect me." At the age of 8 years old, Stu was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Stu recounts the cold and wet weather while delivering the papers in his neighbourhood. Initially, Stu developed pneumonia and then later tuberculosis. Due to his diagnosis, Stu was bed-ridden for two years from the age of 8 until the age of 10. Stu credits the Lord for his healing. The tuberculosis diagnosis presumed Stu would only live until maybe his teenage years. However, Stu recalls a glorious moment at the age of 10 years old when the Lord surrounded him. Stu describes the Lord lifting him into the Sky holding him to his chest and shielding him from the light like a mother would do with her baby. At this moment, the Lord told Stu he was not going to die, the Lord stated: "Be my boy, my old man, I'll be with you." The Lord informed Stu that he would not die on this Earth, he would come up with the Saints. Stu continues to live close to the Lord. Following this amazing moment, Stu was healed. Immediately afterward Stu could not go back to life as normal, however, after a few Monday check-ups, the doctor said, "let him play" and Stu was healthy again.

Stu believes that it is important to "make your life one prayer." In other words, it is beneficial to connect your mind and faith, so everything you are doing is connected to the Lord. Growing up, Stu recalls that both of his parents were religious and went to church. His parents knew about Jesus Christ; however, Stu states they did not know much about the Holy Spirit.

On one occasion 40 years ago, the pastor at Stu's church could not make it to church Sunday morning due to a snowstorm. As a result, on Saturday night, he asked Stu to fill in for him at Sunday Service since Stu was considered an elder at the church. Stu says he did not sleep that night. He had to write his own speech for the service and was also in charge of Lord Chapel. Although this was a big responsibility, Stu has no problem public speaking and says he enjoys talking to others.

Work

Stu loves animals. His passion for working with animals is present throughout his various jobs. He worked on a dairy farm in Agassiz for six years. Stu believes he was meant to be a farmer. His days would start at 5 a.m. The farm had cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, and horses. Stu admits he loves riding horses and people on the farm would refer to him as the "horseman." Stu's favourite horse breed is Friesian horses. Stu notes that Friesian horses are very quick and intelligent horses. These horses are good workers, but also good for riding. Their farmhouse was near the farm, so Stu's boys were able to help. Stu recounts a funny story about his son John, who at the age of 10 years old, attempted to ride on the bull. Stu laughs and says it is important to "know the beast" referring to the bull. Stu emphasizes that it is essential for the animals to know who is in charge. Stu has seen a lot of changes in farming from when he first started. Initially, Stu had to milk all the cows by hand, but eventually, automatic cow milking was introduced.

Then, he became a research worker on farms with cows. Stu reveals his extensive knowledge about the cows led him to work in a veterinarian-type position. He worked in this capacity for nine years. He was also a herdsman for a year. Then, in Chilliwack, the neighbouring city to Agassiz, Stu received a job at the Chilliwack Co-op and worked there for 17 years. Stu would prepare the grain and pellets for the cows and chicken. This job persuaded Stu to move to Chilliwack. At this point, his six children had already moved out. Stu worked at the Chilliwack Co-op until his retirement at the age of 63. Stu also had a dog kennel in Chilliwack where he bred 30 pure-bred dogs and sold the puppies. Stu enjoyed having the puppies around.

Stu is a hard worker and recalls working even on holidays to support his family as he was given the incentive of extra pay for working these days. However, Stu conveys that he was "always enjoying life" no matter where he was. Stu acknowledges that he gets along well with the people in his life.

Stu's love for animals was present at a young age. Stu wanted a cat when he was a child. However, his father did not agree to this as feeding 14 children and 2 adults was a big enough responsibility in and of itself. Once Stu was married, he had canaries of his own. Even today, Stu has two canaries to keep him company. One female and one male. Stu also raised pigeons as a hobby in Agassiz. Stu expresses that he would love to still have pigeons, however, it is not feasible where he lives.

Travel

Stu and Dora traveled to Jerusalem, Israel, and loved it. Stu and Dora visited Jerusalem for 9 days on a guided bus tour. During their visit, they went to a location that provided counsel for individuals in need. Stu recalls there being plenty of animals around which he enjoyed. Stu describes a very special feeling in Jerusalem as it is God's country. They visited the Jordan River where the Lord Jesus was baptized. During the time of their visit, people were getting baptized in the Jordan River. This vacation was a very special one due to its connection with the Lord Jesus. Stu says he would love to return to Jerusalem again if he

can.

Stu also has a love for traveling on cruise ships. Stu has traveled on approximately 20 cruises to various places such as Alaska and the Caribbean. He enjoys the dining experience as well as the shows and entertainment provided on the ships. For Stu and Dora's 50th Anniversary, they brought their six children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren along for a Hawaiian Circle cruise in 2006 to celebrate. Since Stu and Dora have six children, this amounted to a band of 20 people. Stu says it was a joyous time and everyone loved it. The big group of 13 (all the siblings & spouses) went on a Western Carribean cruise for the first time in 2004. Since Stu now has 15 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, he laughs that the children who were not born yet missed out. [05] Another trip Stu embarked on was with his wife, one of his daughters, and son-in-law to the Mission-Outreach in Los Angeles, California. This was a big hotel that was run by a Christian organization. They were called "mission-builders." In this organization, Stu once again used his cooking skills and was the cook for the group. His wife Dora helped through housekeeping at the hotel.

Hobbies

Stu did not have time to learn how to play cards growing up as he was busy going to school and working his paper route. Stu was not really into sports that much either. Stu recalls a funny memory of him and Dora going to a celebration for a National Holiday in the Netherlands. Stu says there was a soccer game going on and they were down one man. They asked if Stu could fill in; he agreed. The players kept telling Stu that he had to kick the ball. Unfortunately, Stu kicked the ball into his own net. Throughout Stu's life, he has continued to use his cooking and baking skills. He says he loved to bake fresh bread such as pumpernickel or rye. He also had many hobbies involving animals such as racing homing pigeons.

Stu also says he was "full of tricks" when he was young. Stu gives one example of his tricks while he was at a large gathering of approximately 50 to 60 people. Stu had discussed the plan with one of his friends beforehand to make sure the trick would go well. Stu had claimed to the crowd that he could read what was inside of a randomly selected envelope without opening it. Of course, the friend was the person randomly selecting the envelope, and Stu had already read the contents inside. This magic trick went off without a hitch and everyone was referring to Stu as "wonder guy." Stu also remembers receiving a passport on the cruise ship that said "comedian" on it due to his silly antics. Stu says he used to keep a bunch of riddles written down to share. One of the riddles he shared is:

"What can it be? A farmer sees it every day, a king sees it seldom, and God sees it never?" The answer is His equal. Stu explains that a farmer can always see another farmer. A king seldom sees other kings. However, there will never be an equal to God.

Technology

Stu has seen many changes throughout his lifetime. He says that there have been lots of inventions in the last 100 years. When Stu lived in the Netherlands, the only way to call someone by telephone was to walk a few kilometers to the post office and pay to use their telephone. He says only the post office and some other places like doctors and veterinarians' offices had telephones. Stu did not have his first telephone until he lived in Canada. Even then, Stu explains that each line belonged to three different households. Therefore, a certain number of rings alerted which family the call was for. For example, one ring would be for Stu's family and two rings would be for another family to answer. Stu mentions that it was possible to still answer the other person's call and eavesdrop. Today, Stu admits that although he has a laptop, he does not use it. However, when his grandchildren come over to visit, they immediately know how to use it.

Present Day (2021)

Stu enjoys watching Jimmy Swaggart on television. This television program is on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which allows Stu to watch whenever he pleases. In Stu's room, he has two canaries, a female and a male. Both are white although Stu notes that the female has some tinges of yellow. He says the male canary sings, however male canaries sing less once paired with a female, so the male canary sings less frequently now. As of February 2021, Stu is waiting for eggs. He is expecting five eggs from his canaries soon. When asked where all these canaries are going to go, he says he "has three cages ready." Stu has 15 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He believes there will be more on the way. Stu maintains his optimistic attitude as he states, "life is fun." In addition, Stu's relationship with the Lord is significant as Stu states it is "special to know the Lord - never lonely."

EULOGY FOR DAD

• Thank you so much to everyone for coming today, whether in person, in spirit or on-line, to honour and celebrate dad with us today. Dad was also known as Pake (grandpa) to his grandchildren and great grandchildren and to many of his close friends. I’ll be sharing some special memories of growing up with dad & who he was. Dad was known to be a proud Friesian and a stubborn Dutchman! When I talk about our dad, I will include mom too. It’s hard to just talk about dad without talking about mom.

• Dad and some of his favourite foods: gravy, meat & potatoes (not much variety for dinners growing up) - including overcooked & peeled veggies. He loved mom’s egg potato salad - any other salad was considered rabbit food in dad’s opinion. Dad loved pickled herring & red beets. Dad made the best pickled red beets. Dad loved salmon – especially smoked salmon. Other favourites were rye bread, porridge in the morning – a staple for the family growing up. At the Waverly he’d prepare the porridge with milk in it the night before & leave in the microwave, all ready to warm up in the morning. He still loved butter milk – when dad was an infant he couldn’t take his mom’s milk. He was getting very sick & “blue”. A neighbour told his mom to try buttermilk (formula wasn’t available back then). He thrived on buttermilk & would for many years to come. We (kids) wouldn’t be here today if our Beppe hadn’t tried. Dad loved boiled eggs. John for many years would drop off a weekly supply of pre-boiled eggs from Tony & Larissa’s chicken farm. Desserts we had were simple – rice pudding or shredded apple with sugar & cinnamon. Sugar was sprinkled on white rice & on tomatoes that were halved. Mom always baked too. My husband couldn’t believe how we ate when we first dated. Our treat on the w/e’s was having sweet cereal. Dad loved to make Pannenkoeken (large, thin Dutch pancakes, often over a foot in diameter). Dad would cook it on a large round electric frying pan. He perfected them by using a timer. He loved Maple syrup on it. When Bryan & I were with my parents in the Netherlands, dad loved having Lekkerbekje. It’s fried fish (often whiting & cod), usually served in batter. They were fished from the sea, nice & fresh.

• Dad had in his possession a book titled: Stuff Dutch People Like by Colleen Geske. I want to share from the book”: Dutch people have 3 very specific ways of preparing food/vegetables. They like to either: a) mash the H#ll (He double toothpick) out of something, b) boil the sh*t (crap) out of something, or c) deep-fry the life out of something!

• Dad’s favourite restaurants were Canton Gardens, Jimmie J’s (Bryan & I would take him out to these two often) and Dragon Fort when in Abby. In Mission, it was Embers owned by Paul & Amy. Caroline & Walter would p/u Canton Chinese food and bring it to Murray & Fran Byer’s place down the hall from dad at the Waverly Assisted and dad would join them on a weekly basis (when Caroline & Walter weren’t traveling). The restaurant in Agassiz called, Little Bear, had an excellent Liver & Onion dinner that dad absolutely loved! Growing up, there was very few occasions that our parents could afford to take us out for dinner. We kept the yearly tradition of Dutch Christmas (also known as Sinterklaas Day) in early December, even after mom had passed.

• Some of dad’s favourite Dutch snacks were: Double salted licorice and Dutch peppermints. As one said on FB, “Somehow I imagine him standing beside Peter @ the Pearly Gates handing out Dutch Licorice & Queen Wilhelmina mints”. Dad was always known in church for handing out these peppermints to kids (they knew him as the “candy man” and go find him for some). Adults too. As one said on FB, “He was a wonderful, funny man. I always remember him in church with having a pocket full of peppermint candies and sharing them with everyone. He loved to make people happy”. Other Dutch treats dad loved to have on hand is Speculaas cookies & Stroop Waffles. You’ll be able to try them during the lunch reception. Dad also loved shelled peanuts & cracking walnuts to eat. Dad loved Zwieback or Beschuit (biscuit), a classic round Dutch twice-baked bread, known for being extremely light, crispy and crumbly with a mild, golden flavour. Dad would use this for breakfast sometimes with butter & jam on it or with Dutch sprinkles, which we’d call hail while growing up or chocolate “mice droppings”. The coloured sprinkles/hail are good too. And of course, who couldn’t forget dad’s olliebolen for New Year’s Day. A Dutch treat consisting of donut balls dipped with icing sugar (plain or with raisins or apples inside). Maybe that’s why dad was so “sweet”.

• We didn’t grow up rich, we were considered even poor, but we grew up well loved. We always had a roof over our head & food on the table. Dad loved gardens & grew our own veggies & canned for the winter. He grew green grapes on Prest Rd. He made our own apple juice and sauce & he absolutely loved these. Fruit was canned for peaches & pears. Fridge & freezer were always full. Dad taught us we can put as much food on our plate as we like, but we had to finish it. No waste for dad. He would use empty margarine containers and other containers once cleaned, held any left overs to eat later. Don’t get me wrong, mom had Tupperware containers too. He grew up during the second world war when food rations were required and even if living in a rural area with farms, they couldn’t use everything they produced for their family because it was taken by the “enemy”. Dad would even give us any leftovers from Waverly he couldn’t finish. We learned to work at a young age to buy our own clothes. Paper routes by bike in the early mornings, berry picking in the summer. We were raised on good work ethics. I started my first job at 15. I even biked to Harrison Hot Springs from Agassiz to go to work. The oldest 3 earned enough money to buy their first car, shared by all 3. Our parents always found a way for us to attend a private Christian school (elementary in Agassiz) and Highroad later in Chilliwack on School Street. We did go on a few camping trips growing up. I remember going to Summer Camps from the church that was located off Sechelt since I was 10 - 15 yo. We attended Pioneer Girls club or boys club. I learned so much from this club and got to do so many things, I didn’t feel I missed out on anything. This all-costs money, but dad would work two jobs (Co-op & milking for other farmers) to make ends meet. One special Christmas I’ll never forget: Our parents were struggling to pay for the farm mortgage one year & keep up with all the bills (this was prior to the gov’t assisting farmers). Our parents told us there would be no gifts that year for Christmas. But our relatives helped our family by buying gifts for all six of us that year. Our parents were hoping to surprise us, but we were snooping around and found them under one of the beds.

• Dad loved raising & racing homing pigeons. Every home we were in always had the pigeon coup. He won many trophies. Another love of dad was the singing canaries. He had those throughout his life. We always had dogs and cats (dad’s favourite cats were the Calico (3 coloured) breed). Dad had a variety of animals (horses, cows, chickens & roosters, sheep at one time, goats too, speciality chickens & geese, even growing fishing worms to sell). He was always building & rebuilding enclosures on our ½ or ¾ acre hobby farms when we weren’t farming. Never a dull moment. He bred Jack Russels & Fox Terriers on Prest Rd. and sold the pups. Some of the proceeds went to help support John & Till Maarhuis’s Philippines Missions for the Bible School and Children’s Orphanage Home. Vancouver schools sent students to our farm in Agassiz as a tour & they got to jump off from the barn loft onto haybales below (so much fun, but I don’t think the schools would allow that now). Dad was the unofficial Agassiz “Vet” for many years in Agassiz. Dad knew how to deliver calves safely with a cow’s difficult birthing, which is why farmers would call him when there wasn’t a vet in Agassiz. When a vet did arrive in town, he politely asked if dad could step down and dad did. Dad worked at the Agassiz Experimental farm when he first came to Canada, but had to leave eventually, due to having to work on Sundays and Sundays were a day of rest. Dad absolutely loved Frisian horses and he worked for a Frisian farmer who didn’t know how to handle them in Friesland, but dad knew. His boss didn’t want to see him leave for Canada. Dad loved fishing. He even went on a fishing guided tour in Mazatlán, in 2023, with Bryan, I, and Walter & Caroline. Dad & Caroline were in the front of the boat thoroughly enjoying fishing. Walter, Bryan & I were in the back of the boat and they had no idea Walter & I had really bad motion sickness. The fish they both caught, we had them for dinner that night. Dad loved flowers and if anyone wanted one of his, he gave them slips to grow their own. He loved red Geraniums & the colourful Hydrangeas especially, and of course Tulips. Whatever his hobby was, he did it in abundance, not knowing when to stop. Dad also loved wrestling in Canada in the early years (we tried to tell him it was scripted, but dad didn’t think so). He loved attending animal auctions in Langley or Chilliwack, buying & selling. He never saw auctions in the Netherlands growing up.

• Dad had TB, Pleurisy & Pneumonia b/w 8-10 yrs of age. The doctors said he most likely won’t reach his teen years. But God had other plans for him. Dad experienced at 10 years of age an encounter with Jesus & being filled with the Holy Spirit (he didn’t understand then what speaking in tongues were). He was miraculously healed by Jesus. God had promised him a long life. God kept his promise & gave him 92 years of living. Fast forward to 1971, when asked by the church board of the church he was attending then & was a deacon at that time, to check in on his sister & brother-in-law (Aunt Tina & Uncle Wiebe Oord) who started going to Glad Tidings church in the old building on School Street. Dad agreed and went to visit this church. Dad immediately recognized what happened to him at 10 years of age and he was so excited, he went back to the church board and told the church board all about what he saw and experienced with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, they weren’t impressed & told Stu “To shut up or get out”. Dad told them he couldn’t shut up, so he said, I’ll get out. We started attending Glad Tidings after that.

• Rules. If the rule didn’t make sense to dad (according to my brother Jim), he didn’t necessarily follow them. For example: When dad got married on January 26, 1956, to his beloved Dora (our mom), who he affectionately called “my Dora”, he was granted approved a short leave from the Dutch Army training for the wedding & honeymoon. There was a furniture sale and our parents’ needed furniture. Only one problem, the sale was on the day dad needed to return to the army. Dad decided to tell the private mess hall he would be cooking in the sergeant’s mess hall and told the sergeant’s mess hall he’d be cooking at the private mess hall, hoping no one would notice he was actually AWOL from the army on the sale day. He got caught. Dad spent 8 days in the Brig (jail) with only bread & water and a hard bed. What dad wouldn’t do for the love of his life, our mom. Before I continue with Rules, I want to clear up now what dad said in his memoir when he stated that mom & him never fought. They had “discussions”, not arguments. But the important thing he said, with a twinkle in his eye, “making up is the best part”. When we were on Martin Rd. in Agassiz, dad needed to burn an old pigeon coupe that he no longer had use for. Well, the fire department arrived to check out what was going on. Dad was lucky to get off with a warning. He could have been fined for not having a permit to do so. Dad always had in his shirt pocket: reading glasses & case, pens and a pocket knife. The grandkids & great grandkids loved playing with his reading glasses & pens in his pocket, but dad ensured they didn’t have access to his beloved pocket knife. The jack knife came in handy for many things such as peeling apples or potatoes. Well, the cruise line security had to confiscate his jack knife on several cruises. On one cruise my brothers asked if they (the port) could hold it till our return. They did.

• Dad was courageous by immigrating to a new country at the young age of 25 with his wife, who was pregnant with John, and Shirley & Ettie, who were 2.5 & almost 1 year old, in May of 1959. Dad always liked saying that John was made in Holland & born in Canada. What a journey they had from the East Coast and all the way to Agassiz via train. Mom’s sister & spouse – Uncle Tim & Aunt Shirley Hoogendoorn had a farm in Agassiz and they sponsored & supported them. My parents arrived with very little money (they had to borrow for this journey), didn’t know English yet, and they had to start over.

• Our parents took a lot of trips once he was retired to other provinces to visit relatives or friends. Dad even planted the Dutch yellow potatoes in a friend’s farm field in Alberta in the Spring & brought the potatoes home in the Fall. That was dad. They went on tour in Israel together. A very memorable trip for them both. They’ve gone on numerous trips to Alaska and even brought dad’s sister (my aunt Tina Oord) and on another, my aunt Shirley Hoogendoorn (mom’s sister). Both my aunts & mom couldn’t see well, so it must have been quite a sight with mom on one arm of dad and an aunt on the other arm. I wonder what others thought seeing them. On one of the cruises, dad lost his wedding ring in the hot tub. The staff actually found it. Ettie kept it for safe keeping after that. After one of the cruises, the customs officer asked what dad did for work on the ship. Ettie looked confused and said she didn’t understand what he meant. The officer showed her the stamp on the passport that said comedian/entertainer. Ettie then clarified that dad was neither, but Dad would tell riddles & wear his Frisian outfit with Klompen when he was on the cruises and everyone wanted pictures with him. He certainly wasn’t paid for this, but I always said the cruise lines should’ve paid him. He drew people to him. On two of the cruises, our parents paid for all the children & spouses to join them in 2004 for the Western Caribbean Cruise & in 2006 for the Hawaiian Circle Cruise (some grandkids joined on this one at their own expense), there was one condition our parents had: to meet for dinner together. Because the table wasn’t large enough for all 13 of us, the children sat together at the larger table, while our parents were sitting at a smaller table, we decided as couples to take a turn each night to sit with mom & dad for 1:1 time with them. We started creating family memories. Our parents would go to the YWAM base with Brian & Ettie on several occasions & volunteer with the California base. Bryan & I took our parents in 2009 & 2012 to the Netherlands. They visited relatives & we toured the different parts of Netherlands. In 2013 we took a very memorable trip with our parents to the Panama Canal (22-day cruise from Miami to Vancouver). In 2023, Bryan & I took dad to the Netherlands once more. Walter & Caroline joined us the second week we were there. Bryan & I wanted to go up in a hot air ballon that was on our bucket list. Dad wanted to join us & Walter & Caroline followed us below. There is no door to get onto the bucket, only a couple of holes, but everyone helped dad get in & off safely. When up in the sky looking below & above us, the views were spectacular! Me seeing dad’s pure joy on his face up there, made me so happy for him. Dad was 89 years old when we went to Mazatlán & the Netherlands that same year. Dad joined Ettie, I, Walter & Caroline for Ettie’s birthday in 2024, on another Alaskan Cruise (11th one for dad at least over the years). This would be dad’s final trip at 90 years of age.

• Riddles: Dad always asked people if they were familiar with the Bible & told this one riddle with servers he met in a restaurant & wherever he traveled. He used every opportunity to be a witness for Jesus. He would start off by asking if they were familiar with the Bible & then proceed to ask them “What can it be? A farmer sees it every day; a King sees it seldom; and God sees it never”. The answer is His equal. Dad would explain that a farmer can always see another farmer; a King seldom sees other Kings; However, there will never be an equal to God.” The other one involved the # 11. Without moving the two ones, how can you make it less than 11? You can place any # b/w the 11 or on either side. (1 ½)

• As daddy’s little girl, I felt safe & secure in his arms. I loved it when he carried me up to my bed after a night out with mom & I’m pretending to be asleep. When I was sick, I was able to sleep next to my parents on their bedroom floor. I always felt better when being near them. I remember needing dad to hold me on his lap while having dental work done (otherwise, I wouldn’t let them work on my teeth). I was not ashamed to be on his lap with my arms around him at 17 years old. I felt loved by my dad. I used to love following him around on our hobby farm while he fixed things. He used to tell me that boys work was outside and girls work was inside the house. But since mom’s major quintuple heart bypass surgery at the age of 81, mom eventually could no longer cook or clean the house, so dad stepped in to do both. Mom was 5 years older than dad. I wish I took a picture of him vacuuming the house. He would never have done this when we were growing up. Dad truly loved mom. By the time mom turned 86, they went to live at Waverly Assisted Living.

• I asked him once when I was 12 or 13 years old, while we were alone together in his vehicle going home, if he was tired of having girls after having only one boy & two older girls, and then me. I’ll never forget when he replied “Oh no, I wanted 12 girls because he was unsure if he could love his boys because of his father. After having 3 boys, Dad told me he found out he could love his own boys in spite of his father.

• His father was physically abusive to him & his siblings. Dad learned to make peace with his dad eventually at his graveside & forgave him, not because his dad deserved it, but for himself & closure from the abuse. He did this simply because that is what Jesus would do. He always told me the reason he immigrated to Canada was to run away from his dad. My Beppe on the other hand was deeply loved & respected by all of her 14 children & their spouses. She diligently prayed for all of her children, their spouses, and the grandkids & great grandkids, as well as any unborn child waiting to be born. She had a wall of pictures of everyone when she prayed.

• Our dad wasn’t a perfect dad, but dad did the best he could with what he knew back then. Dad did find a better way when we were attending Glad Tidings, to discipline by giving 24 hr notice before applying punishment. There was one person in our family (not mentioning any names), but he would receive discipline more than the others. He was a bit of a wild child, but I have to say, he grew up to be a good man and he became best friends with dad. Dad changed how he disciplined by waiting to implement it, so he could calm down and not do it by reaction & anger. That might be better for dad, but I’m not so sure for the one receiving it, having to wait. I think the boys got punished more than us girls, but I’d like to think that was because as girls, we watched what they got into trouble for & learned to avoid it or just knew how to get away with it. Did we like being punished or want to see a sibling get it, no, of course not. But I think we all turned out pretty good in the end!

• At one time a neighbour on Prest Rd. called the Chilliwack Animal Pound because some of dad’s dogs escaped and ended up on his property, but he didn’t notify dad first. Dad ended up having to pay the fines & dog licenses to the city in order to retrieve his dogs at the pound. Not long after, this same neighbour, whose own dog came onto our property, dad didn’t do what the neighbour did to him, instead he called the neighbour to p/u his dog. Dad led by example & lived by the Bible & what it says to do. Another valuable life lesson learned from our dad.

• Coffee – always on at my parent’s place (no appt. necessary, door was always open). From FB “I still remember him on Friday night fellowship pouring more hot water into the coffee urn after it was already done. “Wonderful coffee” that can put hair on your chest. Pouring a fresh pot with old coffee grounds.

• Our parents held Saturday morning coffee around their large oak table for years with close friends and relatives. Bryan & I now have that same table & chairs.

• Dad taught us about faith. Teaching us to pray, praying prior and after every meal shared together. Once we reached a certain age (12), we took turns doing this. Dad read from the children’s bible or living bible after each dinner.

• Dad was a man of humility – He always said he never made it past grade 4 and he repeated that grade a few times. He ended up going to work at 14 years of age instead. He was so proud of his kids & their accomplishments. Shirley went back to school at UFV and got her Care Aide Certification and works in Home Support for FH for a # of years. Ettie ran her own self run housecleaning business and did very well & is now retired. John owns & operates a very successful business selling good, quality shoes – Payton & Buckle (Chilliwack, Abbotsford & Pitt Meadows). I was the first one of the siblings to attend UFV & receive my Nursing degree in 2004. I work in Public Health. Walter worked for Provincial Corrections as a Correctional Officer, and retired early (earlier than any other sibling so far at the age of 57). Jim is a Red Seal Journeyman Gas Fitter currently working as the South Island Manager for EMB on a contracted project with FortisBC, overseeing the gas meter exchange program across lower Vancouver Island. Not bad for a man that didn’t make it past grade 4!

• One of our favourite memories was Sunday Lunch after church (Dutch Soup, buns & Gouda cheese with ham). Mom & dad would make it their ministry to serve the single moms of the church. Dad was always ensuring everyone went home with a full stomach. Our parents were the hands, feet, and mouth for Jesus accepting all the single moms with open arms.

• Dad was full of wisdom and remained calm under crisis, such as when John’s head got trapped in the farm machinery. Dad didn’t Panick, he stopped the machinery and managed to get his head out & sought medical attention right away. John ended up being okay and had stitches. Our dad our hero & protector. Dad stopped a bully from further bullying Walter & me on our walk home from Greendale Elementary. Dad drove us from school to home one day & we mentioned this bully & pointed him out. He stopped the car and had a talk with this bully. I have no idea what dad said to him to this day, but whatever he said, we were never bullied by this student again. Another time when we lived on Martin Rd in Agassiz, mom & I were very upset about something and we were eager to tell dad all about it as soon as he got out of his car coming home from work, he looked at us and proceeds to turn around to leave and we asked where are you going? He said I’m not joining in on this, what good would that do for all of us to be upset, I might as well leave. I never forgot that.

• One thing while growing up, my parents always were available when you needed them & when each of us were married, they never interfered in our marriages. Advice was only provided if we asked. I admired that in my parents.

• Dad was an avid blood donor, donating his blood many times over his life time until he could no longer donate at a certain age.

• As said earlier, Dad worked two jobs while mom ran the household. Eventually as teens, we had foster kids for 5-6 years at the most. Out of the three we had; one remained in touch with us over the years. We’d like to give honour to Cheryl Hohn for being there after both mom and dad passed. She helped moved the stuff out of dad’s apartment with her truck, dropping off donations & paying for the dump runs. We really appreciate you. I’d like to think our parents made a good impact on you.

• I want to make a correction in his obituary & memoir. My parents had 24 great-grandchildren and not 25, but as dad said in his memoir he believes there will be more on the way. I have no doubt there will be a 25th great-grandchild. My niece got married last July, so who knows. Amy (grand daughter) mentioned on FB regarding Pake: You held me when I was born, and you held each of my children when they were born too. That is a gift and a love our family will never forget.

• Dad had health challenges since early November of 2025. He had many blood transfusions & admissions to CGH & ER. He had major surgery that was successful in Mid-March. Dad told me the night before surgery, he wasn’t worried about the surgery. If God called him Home, he was ready. Velma the FH case manager for funded beds, re-assessed dad in April (4 days before he passed). Velma told me since the annual assessment in January of 2026, he had significantly lost weight (50-70 lbs), had a cognitive decline (but he still remembered who she was) and dad had become very frail +++. The family was going to meet with Velma on the following Monday to start the process of putting him into LTC. As told by Velma, your dad told me that he was ready to go to Heaven and that he knew this was his eternal home. He said this with joy and a smile on his face with his hands uplifted.

• I always said only God knows when you’ll take your first breath and your last. We knew dad would not be with us forever (after all he was 92!), but even when you expect it, it still is unexpected when it actually happens. I always kissed my dad and said “I love you” after a visit because you never know. On April 16, the ER doctor told me his heart was failing & he was unresponsive. Walter & Caroline just returned from Mazatlán the night before and were able to see him. Dad had a private room in the ER. I forgot to mention to the nurse that we were a large family coming to visit. When I first stepped into the room, he opened his eyes. As family filtered in, he became more alert, but couldn’t say much, but did respond by nodding or shaking his head. Jim & family arrived from Victoria just before 7 pm. The room was full of grandkids & the siblings & spouses. We were laughing, crying, and reminiscing. The Laanstras had only one volume and it was loud or should I say it was more Ettie & I that can be loud. The spouses who enjoyed more peace & quiet stayed in the far corner of the room. I turned to dad at one point and said, “you’re enjoying this aren’t you?” and dad nodded yes. That answer took me back in time when again in the car with dad as a young girl, I asked dad if he hated it when he heard us kids yelling, screaming and arguing with each other (sibling rivalry). He responded with an emphatic “No”. He said it was “music to his ears” further explaining that when there is noise among the kids, that means they are healthy, but he is more concerned when they become quiet because either they are sick or they are getting into trouble. Everyone slowly left and I volunteered to spend the night with dad. A nurse came in later and she brought 2 warm blankets, so I gave dad one of the warm blankest to put over him. He said, “Much better” and fell asleep. Little did I know that those would be his last words. When I got up the next morning, dad was non-responsive. Dad’s physician came in to change the orders to comfort care only. Slowly family came in again & two of my siblings came to say their final good-byes, but couldn’t stay. I was moved when I saw the grandchildren & great grandchildren having tears run down their face. We never had a special relationship with our grandparents as our kids did. Both sets of grandparents lived in the Netherlands and the other in Ontario. We rarely saw them when growing up. It was different for our kids. There was six of us surrounding dad & holding his hands as dad was nearing the end. My SIL was playing a song list quietly in the background (the same ones she played for her mom who passed on Feb 3rd). Just before dad took his last breath the song that her mom passed away to was the same song when dad took his last breath. At the same time, a tear was rolling down dad’s cheek. Dad was saying his final good-bye to all of us. His passing was peaceful & beautiful. We never got this chance with our mom, to surround her and say our final good-byes.

• Thanks to everyone for all the posts (I read them all) and one card from Nova Scotia, who sent her artwork of a lighthouse in N.S. She said, “Your dad was always cheerful & pleasant. Every memory I have of him was with a big smile. Someone like your dad was like a light shining for many”. Though you are gone dad, your light still shines. God sent you to your forever home, Heaven, to be with your beloved Jesus & our mom again. Someone else said, “He was a great man of Faith and he loved his family deeply”. Another said, “Your mom & dad left God’s fingerprint on everyone they met”. Dad, you will be missed and it’s not a final good-bye, but rather till we see each other again.