Thankful for the joy

Maartje Slyker left legacy of being a lifelong learner

By: Janine LeGal

Maartje Slyker’s life featured events fit for blockbuster movies and award-winning novels. The theme throughout it was her unwavering faith, which allowed her to accomplish, overcome and thrive with courage.

Born in 1928 in the Netherlands, Slyker was six when her mother died from multiple sclerosis and 12 when the war started in Holland. Her uncle and aunt, who lived in a small community north of Amsterdam, took her in and raised her as their own.

The couple also took in two children whose home in Rotterdam was destroyed, and three Jewish sisters from Amsterdam whom they hid from the Nazis for two years.

In a 2011 story published in the Jewish Post and News, Slyker tells of her childhood during wartime.

“We lost all our resources, we lost our freedom, and little by little, we lost everything else,” Slyker recalled. “I can’t imagine that I lived through that, but we survived and life went on.

“I was 16 but so skinny that I looked younger,” Slyker continued. “It was my responsibility to keep an eye out for the German presence and sound the alarm. The German searches could take five or six hours.”

Slyker managed to stop soldiers from taking her ailing father to a work camp while also carrying notes in her shoes for the underground and helping her aunt care for the girls hiding in their home, making clothes for them using household tablecloths and sheets.

The Germans had taken almost all of their food, and for months, Slyker recollected eating only sugar beets and potatoes.

She never forgot May 5, the day the war ended.

“The sisters were scared to go out. In the evening, I went out with them, arm-in-arm. I could feel their trembling. When we saw the Allied soldiers, everyone was jubilant. It was a very emotional time.”

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Slyker died on Jan. 18 at age 97.

She made Winnipeg home after arriving in Canada in 1950 with her husband, John. Having been a merchant marine during the war, there was no longer any work for him in Holland.

He proposed to Slyker while she was in hospital after she contracted tuberculosis, which had interrupted her nursing training. For 18 months she remained a patient, and the couple made plans. They married and had their honeymoon in Paris. From there they made their way to North America. After the chaos of war, it was time for a new start.

The couple had six children, worked hard and lived humbly. There were homes in different neighbourhoods over the years, which the couple often renovated.

“They fixed everything,” said eldest child, Marilyn Bouw, “with that immigrant work ethic. What they had was time, energy and skill – not money – and that was turned into value. They were very hardworking.

“Her work ethic shows in all of her children and in our children as well,” added Bouw. “It’s a legacy that has been passed on. She taught us all well; we all had chores. She taught us all to sew so we could sew for our kids. She taught us to do the drudgery and the fun stuff, from baking to cleaning toilets.”

Slyker learned to drive at 35, referring to her car as “Wings.” At age 41, she returned to nursing, first attaining her LPN, and a few years later, her RN, despite having been told she was too old.

“She managed to convince St. Boniface (Hospital School of Nursing) that she had many years of service left and went on to nurse for over 20 years,” said Bouw. “Her compassionate care blessed many seniors over the years. She was in her early 70s before she retired.”

Motivated by her faith, she taught her children the importance of it, as a strength for the growing family.

Over time she became Oma to 16 grandchildren and Great-Oma to 29 great-grandchildren.

“We would often see her reading her Bible in her quiet time,” said Bouw. “It was a priority that she made,” she continued, noting that Slyker attended Winnipeg Bible School.

“Most important is that she was able to share her faith with all of us,” said Bouw, emphasizing the gratitude the family feels for that gift.

After enduring the weeks of camping in tents with six children over many years, the family obtained a trailer in the Whiteshell, where Slyker could finally enjoy holidays in the watching of birds and finding joy in simple things.

Slyker devoted herself to the service of others, giving time to the immigrant families of her church in various roles. She became a church elder, visiting sick or lonely parishioners. She drove seniors to medical appointments and errands.

The gifted seamstress dressed all of her children in special outfits over the years, including her daughter’s wedding dresses, which she managed to make in her own home.

A force and a role model to her family and church community in many ways, Slyker was respected and appreciated for her passion for what was right, and for her generosity. She was invited to speak to classes at Asper Jewish Community Campus, sharing her experiences about growing up during the war.

“She was brilliant,” said Bouw. “She was able to keep all of these things straight,” she said, to highlight her mother’s ability to multitask, seemingly without effort.

“There were beautiful afghans that she knitted, some with very complicated knitting patterns. She could sit and visit and make these works of art. In her spare time, she was making layettes for the crisis pregnancy centre, helping moms. She made baby blankets and booties. She knew that she had gifts given by God that she needed to share,” Bouw added.

Her resourcefulness and drive to help people landed her in a 2011 edition of Winnipeg Women Magazine, honouring and celebrating true beauty.

“I was very proud of her. Her work ethic was a real inspiration,” said Bouw, adding that despite her mother’s many responsibilities, their home was always tidy, there was always food, and everyone received care and attention.

“She was the definition of lifelong learner. When she was retired she was taking classes with Creative Retirement: history, autobiographies – many topics – right into her late 80s. She was a voracious reader. In the evenings when she wasn’t knitting, she loved autobiographies of historical figures, large books of substance.”

Slyker spent the last chapter of her life at Donwood Personal Care Home. Many hours were enjoyed in the gardens appreciating the flowers and vegetation with her family. Bouw still volunteers there, ensuring that their tradition of providing the beauty of flowers to enrich the lives of the residents goes on for years to come.

Shortly before her death, Slyker told her family, “I’m thankful for the joy that I have. I have a loving family. If God is with us in our life, then everything will be OK.”

“She really brought God’s light into everything,” said Bouw. “It was a major blessing to have a mom like that.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca