ANTONY B. GROOT-KOERKAMP

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ANTONY B. GROOT-KOERKAMP After a brief battle with cancer, Antony B. Groot-Koerkamp of Winnipeg, age 77, passed away peacefully on August 19, 2000 at Grace General Hospital, with his loved ones by his side. Anton leaves to mourn and cherish his memory his loving wife of 46 years, Johanna, and his three daughters, and their families, for whom he did so much: Wilma and her husband, Don Preteau, and their son Robert, of Winnipeg; Irene and her husband, Greg Edmond, of Winnipeg; and Annie and her husband, Glen Rattray, and their daughter, Heather, of Vancouver. He is also survived by his sister, Marietje, and her husband, Paul Vannevel, of Winnipeg, and their children; his brother, Bernie, and his wife, Irene, of London, Ontario, and their children; his brother, Arnold, and his wife, Marie, of Winnipeg, and their children; and three brothers and three sisters in the Netherlands and their families. Anton and Johanna left their native Netherlands in 1954 to come to Canada, where they married and set down roots in Winnipeg. As a religious man, Anton never forgot that God first made a garden. As a husband, father, gardener and friend, his life long passion was to make things grow and to nurture them. Those who knew him remember him best as he tended his garden and reaped its infinite satisfaction and delight. Nurtured by the love of his family, Anton fostered many friendships. He enriched his friends not only because of the person he was, but also by being ready to extend his helping hand whenever it was needed. Anton made a garden of his life. For those of us who cherished him, he still lives on with us in the earth he loved so well, making gardens of our lives, even in silence. Prayers will be held on Wednesday, August 23, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Charles Roman Catholic Church, 320 St. Charles Street, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Msgr. M. Moore, P.H.,V.F. will be officiating. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery. Giving to the last, Anton would want, in lieu of his beloved flowers, to see donations in his memory made to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Diabetes Association or a charity of ones choice. Cropo Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements, 586-8044.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 22, 2000