Leonie Josephine Van Oord

Leonie van Oord, 91, of North Vancouver, BC, passed away peacefully on May 12th, 2026, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands in 1935 and spent her childhood living through World War II. She was the only girl of five siblings. In 1955, she travelled to Canada by boat to start a new life in Vancouver, sometimes sleeping on train station benches.

Leonie van den Berg met Buddy van Oord in Vancouver and married him in 1957. They lived in Vancouver and had a son in 1959 and a daughter in 1961, went back to the Netherlands for a year, then came back to Vancouver and had another son in 1963. The family then moved around in BC, Vernon and Kamloops, for a few years and for a short time living in Burnaby and then they bought a house in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver. They divorced in 1970.

After the divorce, Leonie stayed in North Vancouver, where she worked full time, went to night school, all while raising 3 children on her own. She became a well know and respected social worker in Lynn Valley where she lived.

With 3 teenagers, she opened the doors of her home to their friends. While some called her Sarge, two years in the Dutch military, others called her their second mother, with all having had deep respect for her. She loved to travel, she had many good friends, some for over 80 years, and always had the most beautiful garden of flowers in the neighborhood.

Leonie is survived by her brother Peter, her children, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren.

Family was everything to Leonie. She committed her life to the love for her 3 children; Ron, Monique and Mark; 5 grandchildren, Shilo, Marlee, Dillon, Jakob, and Natasha; and 4 great grandchildren, Kason, Avery, Kade and Nixon and would do anything for them and did. She was strong, independent, courageous, and lived an honest life.

A celebration of life will take place at the Lynn Valley Legion on July 5th, 2026.

Please see address and details, below.