Dina was an only child born in Rotterdam, Netherlands on September 16, 1924. She married her husband Arnold in 1942; together they endured the many hardships of WWll while living in Holland.
After her mother died, she and Arnold immigrated to Canada with their 3 children in March 1958, settling in Victoria, where they had their fourth child just 5 months later.
Both she and her husband were hard workers, meeting many challenges with strength and resilience while raising their family in a new country.
Dina’s Dutch heritage bloomed in her beautiful garden, which many people walked by to admire. She grew vegetables, fruit trees, roses, perennials, and of course, bulbs! She also loved to knit, crochet, hook rugs, do needlepoint, petit point, and sewed many of the clothes she wore. Her hands were never idle! In the kitchen, she was a marvelous baker, and frequently made her famous Dutch cookies, as well as bread, apple pie, boterkoek, and a fabulous lemon meringue pie.
Dina and her husband developed a mutual love for choral singing and sang with the Victoria Choral Society for 30 years. Dina served as the choir’s “social convener” for several years, organizing annual social events which were always a hit ! They also sang with St. Patrick’s church choir, contributing their joy and love of music to that choir for many years.
After Dina’s husband died in 1987, she continued to pursue her love of singing with community choirs, and also did some travelling to Fiji, Australia, Hawaii, Alaska, Europe, and the Holy Land.
She moved in to Luther Court in 2015, quickly establishing herself as a valued member of their choir. She made many friends at Luther Court with her warm and witty personality. She never tired of trying to teach people how to pronounce difficult Dutch words, and enjoyed making people laugh. She loved to give (and get) hugs and was known to offer comfort to others when they struggled.
Dina lost her eldest son, Adrie (Australia) in June 2016, her son-in-law Bill in April 2022, and her eldest daughter Marrie in December 2022. She is survived by her son Arnold, her daughter Maudie, 3 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
She will be deeply missed and forever loved.
Funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 12:10 pm at St. Patrick’s Parish, 2060 Haultain Street, Victoria, BC.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Tim and Colleen Weckend
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Avril mcleod YOUR MOM WAS MY FRIEND AND I WILL MISS HER. I LOVED HER SMILE WHEN EVER WE WOULD HUG AND LAUGH. I WILL MISS OUR TIME
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Linda Irvine Dearest Maudie,
I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of your Mom. Sending love.
Linda Irvine
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Karen Mayer My condolences to your family on the loss of a wonderful lady.
I knew Dina as a fellow alto in the Victoria Choral Society. She welcomed me into the choir in 1985 where, along with singing, we shared a lot of funny moments. She had a great sense of humour and loved to sing – as did Arnold. I remember them fondly.
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Della Coyle Dear Maudie we spoke today on the phone it was nice to hear your voice and to reminisce about Mom. I feel very blessed that I had 9 great years being Moms companion/friend. Maudie your Mom loved you so much you were her sun, moon and stars. She often would say I don’t know what I would do without Maudie. Dina my friend rest in peace. I love you xoxo
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Cathy Jupp Campbell Dearest Dina – If I can share my vision of Dina she is walking amongst a riot of colourful tulips reaching for the blue sky and she is singing with all her heart peacefully and with grace. You were my neighbour and friend for many years .I’m so lucky for your daughter became my bestie friend . You lived a long , full life. Loved and cared for❤️
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Kathryn Swift “At bottom every individual knows well enough that they are a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvellously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as them, ever be put together a second time.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Maudie,
May you be blessed with fond and loving memories of mother’s unique individuality. Of her long, full and varied life.
And may you know you were/are a gift to her, a wonderful daughter.
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Britta Frombach My condolences to Dina’s family. What a beautiful tribute to a long life lived with many legacies to leave in her wake.
May this passage bring you comfort in this transitional time.
“The day my mother died I wrote in my journal, “A serious misfortune of my life has arrived.” I suffered for more than one year after the passing away of my mother. But one night, in the highlands of Vietnam, I was sleeping in the hut in my hermitage. I dreamed of my mother. I saw myself sitting with her, and we were having a wonderful talk. She looked young and beautiful, her hair flowing down. It was so pleasant to sit there and talk to her as if she had never died. When I woke up it was about two in the morning, and I felt very strongly that I had never lost my mother. The impression that my mother was still with me was very clear. I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother is always alive in me.
I opened the door and went outside. The entire hillside was bathed in moonlight. It was a hill covered with tea plants, and my hut was set behind the temple halfway up. Walking slowly in the moonlight through the rows of tea plants, I noticed my mother was still with me. She was the moonlight caressing me as she had done so often, very tender, very sweet… wonderful! Each time my feet touched the earth I knew my mother was there with me. I knew this body was not mine but a living continuation of my mother and my father and my grandparents and great-grandparents. Of all my ancestors. Those feet that I saw as “my” feet were actually “our” feet. Together my mother and I were leaving footprints in the damp soil.
From that moment on, the idea that I had lost my mother no longer existed. All I had to do was look at the palm of my hand, feel the breeze on my face or the earth under my feet to remember that my mother is always with me, available at any time.”
Constellation of Thich Nhat Hanh, from his book: No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life
Dear Maudie and Arnold,
Your mother was such a wonderful neighbour. We so appreciated her beautiful garden and gardening tips. It was lovely to visit with your mom and her many friends on the block. The dinner parties at Mary and Henry’s allowed us to hear so many amazing memories and challenges that our neighbours experienced during the war years. We remember Dina as a beautiful talented lady.
Tim and Colleen