Gertie Witte

WITTE, GERTIE, May 1, 1927 – May 1, 2014. It is with great sadness that the Witte family announces the death of our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Gertie Witte. The second of 14 children born into the Van Harten family in Ter Aar, The Netherlands, she married John Witte on May 15, 1951. They immigrated to St. Catharines the next year and were blessed with five children, eleven grandchildren, and twelve great grandchildren. Her family was always the centerpiece of her life, and she was always its anchor. She taught us all to love, laugh, and live life fully, to be disciplined, dedicated, and loyal to others, and to find a calling in which to be happy.

Gertie was above all a faithful child of God. She rarely missed a church service or Bible study, loved music and singing, and opened and closed each day and meal with Scripture and prayer. She lived out her faith in countless ways, but especially in her loving ministry to many hundreds who needed a quiet visit, shoulder, word of counsel, or good meal. She was always a generous supporter of Christian education, charity, and missionary work, and she had a special place in her heart for the handicapped.

Gertie embraced life with extraordinary gusto. She walked and talked at a blistering pace, cooked and cleaned with fury, ordered and organized her life with gracious precision. She was smart, wise, and a wonderful story teller. She was hilarious, mischievous, and an inveterate prankster. She loved to puzzle, read, and keep up with the news. She and dad loved to travel, and wore out a dozen cars and motor homes in their far-flung drives throughout Canada and the United States.

While we have lost a remarkable woman, the family takes comfort in the knowledge that she now enjoys the eternal joy and rest of heaven. Gertie is survived by her husband John, her children, Ria (with her husband Obie Rypstra and their children Joel, Jonathan, Nathan, Becky, and David), Gertie (with her husband John Reid, and their children Angela and James), Jane (with her husband Norman Herbin and their daughter Celina), and John (with his wife Eliza Ellison and their children Hope and Alison). She will be buried next to their fifth child “Ponkie.”

A memorial service will take place on Saturday, May 3, 11:00 a.m. at Immanuel United Orthodox Reformed Church, 2900 Fourth Ave. in Jordan. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Anchor Home, 361 Thirty Road, Beamsville, LOR 1B2. Funeral arrangements entrusted to HULSE & ENGLISH FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 75 Church St. (905-684-6346). Online tributes may be made at www.hulseandenglish.com.