Rudi Hoenson was born in the Netherlands and moved to Indonesia with his parents. He was taken prisoner there during World War II and was a prisoner-of-war for three and a half years. He survived the Nagasaki atomic bomb.
Following the war, Rudi returned to his native Holland and began to think about what he wanted to do with his life. One day, he saw the movie “Rose Marie.” There is one scene in the film where a Canadian Mountie paddles a canoe through the Rockies. Rudi decided he wanted to live near those mountains so he came to Canada with just a few dollars in his pocket. He made his way to Calgary, got in on the beginning of the oil boom, and married the love of his life, Sylvia.
After retiring, the Hoensons moved to Victoria and spent many happy years travelling, golfing and gardening. Sadly, Sylvia passed away. Rudi then turned his efforts to philanthropy, donating significant sums to many charities including the Government House Foundation (where he established Rudi’s Tea House), the BC Cancer Foundation, Victoria Hospice and the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and many others.
His greatest love was for the veterans and Rudi donated more than $2.6 million to the Broadmead Care Society to support its many projects but particularly to help Canada’s veterans as they aged. He delighted in issuing matching gift challenges to the community, effectively doubling the benefits of his generosity.
A member of the ‘greatest generation’, Rudi was an exceptionally kind man with a terrific sense of humour. He made many friends in the community and will be deeply missed
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