FRIDA DE KONING

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FRIDA DE KONING January 17, 1916 - April 16, 2013 The family of Frida de Koning are saddened by the passing of their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother on April 16, 2013 at The Sharon Home. She was predeceased by her husband, Laurens (1998), infant son Tommy (1946), daughter Ellen (2007) and all her siblings. Surviving and mourning her passing are her sons Laurens Jr. (Alida), Frank (Delima), Fred (Diane) and daughter, Anne Zimmerman, as well as 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Our mother had a long and eventful life. She was born in Dordrecht, Holland, one of five siblings, orphaned as a young girl and began the first of many careers at a very young age. After enduring the Great Depression, she married our father on the eve of the Second World War, lived through the bombing of Rottterdam, and raised a young family through the privation years of her country's occupation. She remembered fondly their liberation by the handsome friendly Canadians. Wanting a better life for their family, Mom and Dad, with four children in tow, immigrated to Canada in 1953. They welcomed their daughter, Ellen, into their family shortly after their arrival in Winnipeg. Ever full of energy, Mom soon found work to supplement the family income. The pathological cleanliness of the Dutch served her well as she cleaned offices and homes while mastering English. With confidence and determination she moved into retail sales and enjoyed her time selling children's clothing and wallpaper. Honesty, hard work, and managing her finances were constants in her life. She passed these values on to all of all and although seldom said, she was proud of all of her children and their accomplishments. After convincing Dad to retire at age 70, our parents became accomplished travelers. This period of time was probably the happiest of their lives. They enjoyed travels to various hot spots as well as revisiting their roots several times. Above all they enjoyed their small trailer on Lake Winnipeg and endless hours fishing to catch that big one. After Dad passed away in 2008, Mom remained fiercely independent until age 90 when she realized and finally admitted that she needed help. As a family we are very grateful to The Sharon Home for the care and comfort given to our mother and for helping us to understand and cope with her as her dementia slowly took her away from us. Special thanks to the third floor staff including Roma, Aileen, Margaret and Donna. A private family interment will take place. We know that our mother would decline flowers and condolences in lieu of a small donation to CancerCare Manitoba in the name of her late daughter and our sister, Ellen Crush.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 20, 2013