Baukje Anneke Hoekstra Cashen, lovingly known as Anne to her family and friends, gently closed her eyes to this earthly life and entered into eternal peace and rest Sunday, December 31, 2023. At her passing she was 82.
Those she leaves to cherish her memory are her children: MSG Kirby Cashen (MSG Karen Cashen), Carrie Trosclair (Michael Trosclair) and Dr. Luke Cashen (Tammy Touchet); her grandchildren, Derek Trosclair (Tiffaney), Sarah Trosclair, Courtney Anne Cashen (Tyler Dowell), Kaitlynn Cashen, and Kristopher Cashen; two great grandchildren, Charlotte Dowell and Katherine Dowell; her close friends, Barbara Davis and Cecilia Labauve; her best friend, Anne Stark; and, her faithful and loving cat of 19 years, Scruffy.
Along with her parents, Anne was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Fritz Hulen Cashen; her brothers, Rudolph Hoekstra and Hans Hoekstra; and her very dear friend Patricia Estilette.
Although Dutch, Anne was born in Jakarta, Indonesia where her father was stationed as an officer in the Dutch military prior to World War II. After the war, her family returned to The Netherlands (Holland) where she grew up and studied to be an educator. Following graduation from college, Anne left Holland to work for Royal Dutch Shell in the remote areas of Indonesia. During her time there, war broke out. In order to protect her school children from rebels who seized and destroyed the school, Anne fled into the jungle with the children and hid them until they were safe. After Indonesia, she took a teaching assignment in the Middle East, where she met an American oilfield worker named Fritz. They married shortly thereafter in 1966. Their lives together took them all over the world, including Kuwait, Iran, England, Singapore, Borneo and Holland. Her international travels resulted in Anne collecting many antiques with some of them dating back to the 18th century. Anne also spoke five languages.
Eventually, Anne and Fritz settled in Louisiana in 1984. A few years after arriving in New Iberia, Anne became a real estate agent for about 30 years. The vast majority of this tenure was spent working for Pat Caffrey Real Estate. In fact, Pat was one of the very few individuals in America who was able to flawlessly pronounce Anne’s Dutch first name. Anne greatly enjoyed helping her clients and was very fond of her friendships with her real estate coworkers.
Anne truly was a remarkable lady and a selfless person. She was a loving mother and grandmother with a kind and gentle soul. Anne freely gave of her time and never asked for anything in return. She always had a soft spot in her heart for children and animals. She enjoyed the little things in life: having coffee with her friends (especially Patricia Estilette), tending to her garden, taking care of Scruffy, enjoying a glass of red wine in the afternoons, and going out to dinner.
Anne always enjoyed a good laugh. For example, after Fritz served as a consultant on the oilfield movie, Hellfighters (which starred John Wayne), Anne and Fritz were invited to the premier of the movie in Houston. John Wayne had the privilege of dancing with Anne at the party. After the dance, Anne walked over to Fritz and said “Whew, I love you, but I would leave you for that man. He can park his slippers under my bed anytime”.
Anne genuinely cared about the happiness of those near and dear to her heart. When greeting her grandchildren and the many dogs and cats in the family, she would often do so in her native Dutch - “Hallo mijn liefje” and “Hallo mijn lieve schat”, which mean “Hello my darling/dear”.
The family would like to extend their sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Nettie Bonin, who was Anne’s personal caretaker and friend. Nettie, we are forever indebted to you for showing our mother love, compassion, and care. We know she was stubborn at times, but you never gave up on her.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Thursday, January 4, 2024 at Evangeline Funeral Home from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm, with a Celebration of Anne’s life held that evening at 6:30 pm. Deacon Durk Viator will officiate at the service. Anne will be laid to rest alongside her husband at Beau Pre Memorial Park Cemetery privately at a later date.
Anne had a love of all animals, and because of that, we kindly ask that you consider a donation in her memory to Acadiana Animal Aid https://acadianaanimalaid.org/ ; a donation of food or physical items to Iberia Parish Animal control at 2017 Seaway Access Rd. New Iberia, La 70560; or, a donation to any animal rescue group serving the needs of homeless animals.
Family and friends are encouraged to share their memories and condolences with the family by visiting Anne’s memorial page at www.evangelinenewiberia.com
Evangeline Funeral Home of New Iberia is in charge of arrangements.
