ELISABETH VAN DE VIJSEL (KRUIJER)

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ELISABETH VAN DE VIJSEL (nee KRUIJER) May 15, 1916 July 13, 2008 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Elisabeth van de Vijsel on July 13, 2008 at the age of 92 at the Victoria General Hospital. Elisabeth was born on May 15, 1916 in Eindhoven, Holland to Franz and Willemina Kruijer (nee van den Brink). In Winnipeg, she leaves her son, Arie (Art) van de Vijsel Jr.; daughter-in-law Christine; her grandson Michael, his wife Jody and great-grandchildren Kyler and Cameron; her granddaughter Lyndsay; in Littlerock, California, her grandson Brian Selles, his wife Maxine and great-grandchildren Kira, Steven, Theresa and Dylan; and in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, her granddaughter Natalie Shantz, her husband Mark and great-grandchild Finton. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Arie Willem Sr. in 1980; her daughter Willemina Francisca Selles in 2007; as well as her sister Frits Borger-van der Burg and her brother Frank Kruijer, both in Holland. Elisabeth enjoyed a long and fulfilling life. She met and married Arie (Aart) in Amsterdam in 1946 but soon left Holland with Aart Jr. to join him in Indonesia in 1948, where her dear daughter Francisca was born in 1949. The family spent eight years in Indonesia before immigrating to Canada in 1957. Here, Elisabeth worked as a dressmaker and seamstress until 1976, using the name Bettina. Her favourite leisure activities were playing and watching tennis, needlework and traveling. In her later years, Elisabeth fulfilled a lifelong dream of journeying around the world on three-month cruise. Subsequently, she went cruising many more times, most memorably to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, and several trips to the Caribbean, which took her through the Panama Canal. She always looked forward to spending summers at Vijselhof, the family cottage at Victoria Beach, where she instilled a love of the outdoors in her children and grandchildren. Elisabeth skillfully played bridge every other week well into her 1990s and took great delight in classical music as a subscriber to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for many years. She also loved listening to her canary Pete sing. Elisabeth lived a full and healthy life, embraced by the love of family and surrounded by good friends. We will all miss our beloved Oma dearly. At Elisabeth's request, a private interment will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in her memory to: Victoria General Hospital Foundation Inc., 2340 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2E8 GREEN ACRES Funeral Home and Cemetery # 1 Green Acres Lane, (204) 222-3241 Life stories may be shared with friends and family across the globe at www.mem.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 17, 2008