Margaretha Hulskamp

When Margaretha Hulskamp walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Margaretha was and how she impacted those around her. Margaretha was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Margaretha wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Margaretha was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

She was the daughter of Antonius and Josephina Aida Hulskamp. Margaretha was raised in Indonesia and Holland. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Margaretha might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Margaretha was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Margaretha was raised with six siblings. She had two sisters, Paulina and Theresa and four brothers, Walter, Richard, Bernardo and Leonard. Margaretha was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Margaretha was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Margaretha well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Margaretha was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Margaretha was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Margaretha took part in handball. In her spare time she liked Indonesian dance. Margaretha had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Margaretha responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from R. K. Mulo in Laren, The Netherlands in 1951. Margaretha was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Margaretha absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Margaretha, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Margaretha a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Her favorite class in high school was ESL. She was good in English as a Second Language (ESL).

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Margaretha was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Margaretha was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Ans Latuapon and Greet Toller. Later in life, she became friends with Audra Sowersby, Mary Lou Canata, Helen Masongsong and July Van Den Broek.

Margaretha was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was office clerk. She was employed for 18 years at All American Inc, 7 years at Federal Signal, 9 years at CTS Electronics and 9 years at Brink and Campman. Margaretha was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Margaretha had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Margaretha's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Margaretha loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were working for her church, charitable engagements. Margaretha had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Margaretha's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Margaretha was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member of Angelus Temple in Los Angeles for over 25 years. During that time, she did charitable work. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Margaretha's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Margaretha took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included visiting family in Holland.

When Margaretha's retirement finally came in 1997, Margaretha handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Margaretha to master. Even in retirement, Margaretha continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Margaretha Hulskamp passed away on June 24, 2010 at Gladstone Care and Rehabilitation Center in Glendora, California. She is survived by one sister, Pauly and four brothers, Walter, Richard, Bernardo and Leonard. Services were held at Custer Christiansen Chapel in Covina, California. Margaretha cremated remains will be placed in or near a family grave site in The Netherlands.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Margaretha. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Margaretha Hulskamp for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Margaretha was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.