Trudy (Beldman) Joldersma
Died: September 7, 2017 | Place: London, Ontario
Obituary
JOLDERSMA, Trudy (Geertrui), néé Beldman….
Passed away peacefully in London, Ontario at the age of 95. Trudy was born in Holten, The Netherlands, in 1922, and immigrated to Canada in 1950. There she met and in 1951 married her husband John; her sorrow at his early death coloured the rest of her life. In contrast to many of her generation, she worked outside of the house for many years, primarily as visiting homemaker for the VON; she was also secretary of Hamilton Christian High School, for which in 1973 the students dedicated their yearbook to her. For all of her 95 years she was a crusader for various causes and always had keen opinions about the world around her. During the course of her Canadian life she lived in many places and made friends in all of them: Winnipeg, Jarvis, Hamilton, London, Calgary, Sarnia, Strathroy, Grimsby, and finally London again. Trudy was predeceased by her beloved husband John Joldersma in 1966, her late-life special friend Harold Kampen in 2009, and her son-in-law Alan MacDonald in 2010. She is survived by her four children, Martin, Hermina, Clarence (Grace), Trudy (Bill), eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, as well as her sister Miene (Barend) Kobes, her sisters-in-law Neeltje Beldman and Mies Beldman, her brothers-in-law Jan Wolters and Henry Joldersma, and many nieces and nephews. Friends will be received by the family from 10-11am on Monday, September 11, 2017 at the A. Millard George Funeral Home, 60 Ridout Street South, London, Ontario, where the service will be held in the funeral home chapel at 11am. A private interment in Mount Hamilton Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario. As an expression of sympathy, donations may be made to charity of choice. Correspondence can be sent directly to the funeral home. Online condolences, memories and photographs shared at www.amgfh.com
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When I landed in Hamilton i stayed with Mrs J . There were so many discussions about so many things. A lady loaded with opinion, concerns and knowledge.. She taught me continue studies and to discontinue Sunday evening church going. i still laugh about her insights on men, family and tradition. I was blessed to have such a concentrated time with her. I am grateful she is at peace.
Dear Martin, Minnie, Clarence, Trudy-Ann:
First my condolences with the death of your mother. Exactly a year ago Marc and I were in London for the reason to see my sisters-in-law once again. I am happy that I (with the help of Marc) had the opportunity to say farewell to my sister-law, which was the purpose of going once more to London. We still had a good conversation with her. During her 10 year’s stay in Calgary we had good communications with each other plus the travels we have enjoyed together. I will be with you in thought this coming Monday. Your uncle (in-law)
Jan B. Wolters.
Just musing on my chats/vists with Trudy..
A common theme of hers
“LIFE IS A MYSTERY”..when discussing God and His purposes and plans.
The mystery is now solved!
Walked in once and she was reading this hunking hard-cover book on the history of England. She was devouring every word!
I gave her a book to read – The Reason for God. Not an easy read… by Tim Keller.
But when I went to see her before I left ( for Thunder Bay) and asked if she wanted me to take the book back, she was determined to finish it. She said it gave her hope. Most people couldn’t get past the first chapter..required too much thought.
I recently found some containers made in Lochem while downtown London and gave her one. She was so amazed and amused with a Made in Holland item…
I will truly miss her..
May the Lord be your comforter and strength during this time
It was an honour to know Trudy as a neighbor and genuine friend during her years in Calgary.
Getting together over tea or a meal, whether in our home or hers, was always a delight, though never predictable! When we were together with Trudy we just never really knew where the threads of conversation might go. We shared together about the everyday joys and challenges of life, but Trudy’s passionate curiosity and musings would also often lead us to broader themes of politics, history, philosophy, or matters of our shared Christian faith. While often strongly opinionated, Trudy could also be admirably honest in self-reflection, and desired ultimately to maintain strongly positive relationships with friends or family with whom she might have had a disagreement. It was not just once that we received a phone call from Trudy hoping she’d not used “too strong” of a tone, or appeared too “harsh” in her judgments about something. She humored us, challenged us, kept us humble, and loved us.
Being of our own parents’ generation, we enjoyed hearing the stories of Trudy’s youth in Holland. She was always careful not to colour memories with too much romantic nostalgia…so when she did speak of ‘romance’ we knew too that this experience wasn’t exaggerated. We enjoyed especially hearing her cherished memories of an obviously loving marriage that was tragically cut short. We were happy with her at her surprising discovery that she could yet again so much later “fall in love” in her eighties.
To you her children: Minnie, Trudy Ann, Martin, and Clarence/in laws, your Mom was profoundly proud of you all and her grandchildren too. That she held such a deep love and respect for you all was so evident whenever she’d share that she’d had a phone call or visit, or was planning one. That she felt genuinely cared for and respected by each of you also was always so nice to hear from her. This was one of our conversation themes just a few years ago when I (Jane) was able to pay her a visit in London. I found her still thinking, wondering, musing about everything as she always had, but also content and accepting of the places she’d found herself in her long life to that point. It was a precious 2 day visit I’ll always cherish.
with loving memories of a very dear Calgary friendship… Hank and Jane
We wish to express our sincere condolences at Trudy’s passing. Being introduced and getting to know Trudy at a Book Club in Calgary was a real pleasure; her keen mind and passion for meaningful dialogue motivated all of us to delve a little deeper into the issues and concerns of the world. Trudy was a truly inspirational person and our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
We got to know Trudy during her time of friendship with my father. We were very thankful for the time they were able to spend together. It was an unexpected blessing to Dad and a joy for us. We loved Trudy. Our deepest condolences.
My dear cousins, Martin, Minnie, Clarence and Trudy-Anne, my heat felt condolences to you all. We had wonderful times together growing up and your mom had a strong spirit of independence looking life right in the face with confidence and bravery, not afraid to ask questions, speak her mind and follow her dreams. Take care. Love from your cousin Harriet
Dearest Joldersma family,
Your mom was a special friend we loved and respected so much..,and we love all of you, too. Our sincere sympathy with the loss of your last parent. She was blessed with long life, but the loss of her first love, your dad, affected her always. Too many memories to mention here, but they will always stay with us. We wish you a good day when you lay your mom to rest. God will have welcomed her as his own, and we can hear her say, ‘well, I never!’ as she arrived. Martin, Clarence, Minnie, TrudyAnn, our thoughts and prayers are with you! Love, Henk and Liz Nienhuis