TROMP (NEE REIJNIERSE), Willemina
Willemina passed away in the early morning hours of December 30, 2017 of natural causes, with her daughters sleeping by her side, at the age of 89.
Willemina was born June 4, 1928 in Baarn, the Netherlands. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she and her two older brothers were raised by their mother in the small community of Den Briel. She talked of many fond memories of her childhood, including visits to family on farms in Zeeland, but the later years of childhood and her teens were deeply affected by the war and the occupation of the Germans. She and her family survived bombings, including one that landed on her brothers’ school, extreme poverty and lack of food, watching Jewish friends and members of the community taken away, and having her brothers taken away to work in labour camps. In her mid teens she and her mother moved to Amsterdam, where Willemina completed her studies in bookkeeping and saw the end of the war as the Canadians liberated Holland. She was 18 years old when she met Ben. She was walking with a friend and they met up with a few others. They were introduced, Ben asked if he could walk with her, and, according to Willemina “that was that”. Five years and many adventures later, they married, on December 21, 1951, and two years later, they immigrated to Canada. Willemina made good use of her bookkeeping skills in finding work in Toronto. Ben and Willemina bought their home in Agincourt in 1960 and soon after started their family - Elizabeth (Betty) born in 1961 and Jeanne in 1963. Willemina became a full time Mom, with sidelines as “the Avon Lady” and volunteer work at the school library, resuming part time work as a bookkeeper when her daughters were in their teens. She was a loving, kind, evenhanded Mom, and together with Ben provided a household filled with laughter, adventure, love and support. Together the family travelled across the country, visited Holland a number of times, passing on both their love of their native land and of Canada, their chosen home. In 1990, Ben and Willemina retired and moved to Napanee, where they lived happily until July of this year, when they both fell ill and were hospitalized, and Ben, her partner of 70 years, passed away. Willemina moved to Ottawa to the Alta Vista Retirement Community, to be close to her daughter. With her body failing her in many ways, she was inspirational in the strength she found to carry on, and even more, to make effort to try new things and adapt. She lived for her family - her daughters, granddaughters, sons-in law. Her very close bonds with her daughters, made even closer by these circumstances, and her presence and resilience, can only be seen as one of her last and most precious gifts to her family.
As a mother and grandmother, Willemina, (“Willie” to her friends and “Omie” to her granddaughters) loved unconditionally and gave us many wonderful memories – her love of adventure, her love of animals, especially birds, her gentleness and her wisdom. We will miss her touch, her voice, her stories, her laugh, her beautiful eyes – all conveyed such love and tenderness.
Willemina is predeceased by her brothers, Piet Reijnierse and Gerrit Reijnierse, and husband Ben Tromp. She is survived by her daughters Elizabeth (Betty) Tromp (Mike Loewen) of Ottawa, and Jeanne Tromp (Barry Moss) of Napanee, and granddaughters Elyssa Loewen (Andrew Harris) of Guelph and Adriana Loewen of Halifax. All of us were at her side at the hospital to support her on her final journey.
We want to thank the wonderful staff at Alta Vista Manor, and the PSWs from Ste Elisabeth, and Nicole Scheidl, for making my mother feel well cared for, and providing her with loving support and companionship, and the nurses and residents at Ottawa General for their care and kindness. Aquamation has taken place. Donations in memory of Willemina can be made to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, or any other charity of your choice.
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