Arend Jan Visser

In the early morning hours of April 12th Arend surrendered his spirit to the Great Beyond. Defying the odds was the way Arend lived his life and was true to form until he took his last breath. Born in the village of Zwolle, Netherlands, Arend made the long voyage to Canada with his family in 1948. He quipped that for a week after he arrived he was still sea sick. Immigrating to Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Arend, with his family, eventually made Calgary their home. At the age of 18 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he travelled throughout Europe and enjoyed his time in Germany and Morocco during the NATO peace talks. Arend found himself later in Montreal where in 1961 he met Amy Walsh and then promptly married her where they would embark on their adventure together. In 1965 Arend graduated from Concordia University with his Bachelor of Social Work and then packed up his young family and relocated to UBC in Vancouver, British Columbia. There, Arend studied his Master of Social Work and graduated with honours. He then set off again and worked as a social worker in 4 provinces and many different locations. From 1978-1982 he held the office of Reeve for the Municipality of Neebing, outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario and often spoke with great pride of being elected to this office. He worked primarily with Indigenous Communities and had a love and understanding of their cultural way of life and the importance of healing. With many talents he was never at a loss for things to do as his hobbies kept him busy. He could often been found puttering in his immaculate sheds or working on maintaining his lawn. For 17 years he was Santa Clause for the Rainy River First Nation Christmas Celebration, which he enjoyed doing very much. He would often run into people on the street who remembered him as the Santa Clause of their youth. Upon his retirement in 2003 he and Amy relocated to Kenora where he promptly found his next endeavour, The Lake of the Woods Historical Society. Arend loved the Mather Walls House and was dedicated to its preservation and was its President until the day he left this world. Arend was reunited with his beloved Mother Lamberta Metselaar, Father Hendrik Jan Visser, Brothers, Otto and Alex, and Sister Gertruuide. He leaves to mourn his wife Amy Visser and children Susan (Steven Briggs), John (Alexis), Paul (Christine) and Elizabeth. He will also be dearly missed by his grandchildren Juliana (Riley), Montgomery (Wesley), Alexis (Brandon) and Caitlyn, as well as his sister Dianne Nemeth of Lethbridge. His loss is also felt by his McDonald’s coffee crew who affectionately dubbed him “The Professor”. Poet, Scholar, Story Teller, Hobbyist are a few of the many hats Arend wore and he wore them well. With a humor that was sharp and epic, no one was safe from his comic attention. His thirst for knowledge was unquenchable and he always sought to understand things the best that he could so that he could pass this knowledge on to others. He lived life on his own terms without apology and taught his children the importance of compassion for those with less than us, tenacity and resiliency.

In Lieu of Flowers donations can be make the Lake of the Woods Historical Society or The Ronald McDonald House Children Charities. We will miss you Dad in all your wondrous glory.

A Song with No End - Bukowski

When Whitman wrote, “I sing the body electric";

I know what he meant

I know what he wanted:

To be completely alive every moment

In spite of the inevitable

We can’t cheat death but we can make it work so hard

That when is does take us

It will have known a victory just as

Perfect

As

Ours.