Obituary of Johanna Louisa Vink

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Johanna Louisa (Wies) Vink on Wednesday the 16^th of November, 2022 at the St. Catharines General Hospital.

Wies was the first-born child of Adriaan Vos and Mina Ufkes.She was born in Breda (Ginneken), The Netherlands on May 8^th, 1925, where she received her education and welcomed eleven siblings over the years.

During the Second World War, Wies sought the safety of rural life by spending a period with a farm family and it was within this family that she met her future husband Cornelis (Kees) Vink.  They married in 1948 and sailed to Canada six weeks later.  They settled in the Kemptville area of Ontario, working for different farmers and learning about farming in their newly adopted country.  Eventually, they bought their own farm in the Drayton/Arthur area where they prospered and expanded their dairy farm.  The winters were cold and many times they had to follow a rope from the house to the barn and back so as not to get lost in the blizzards.  While on the farm, Wies and Kees welcomed into their home their beloved ten-year-old daughter Joanne. After many years and partly for health reasons, they sold the farm.  They settled in the Niagara region where they owned a house with a beautiful view of Lake Ontario.  Wies became the sole breadwinner in the family and accepted a variety of jobs; waitress, school bus driving, personally assisting a doctor, and selling eggs and honey on the farmers’ market.  Wies faced many challenges during this time of her life.

In the 1990s Wies and Kees moved into the recently opened Martindale Place, a seniors independent living opportunity in St. Catharines.  Wies made many friends there and she always enjoyed her balcony, which overflowed with flowers on the south side of the building.

Wies was a person of faith and was a faithful long-time member of the Covenant Christian Reformed Church, which was an important part of her community.She, is remembered by her friends and family as a very loving, accepting, and non-judgmental person.  She always had a listening ear.  Her many nieces and nephews considered her to be the matriarch of the family, and they loved spending time with her and she with them.Two years ago, daughter Joanne moved in with Wies and became a helpful caregiver to her mother. 

Wies is survived by her daughter Joanne.Wies was predeceased by her husband, her siblings Menno, Sieka, Dick, Ko, Ad, Frieda and Erna, and is survived by her siblings, Willem and Marthie in The Netherlands and Hans and Hetty in Canada.

A sincere, "Thank you", to the surgeons and nursing staff on 5B for her care andalso to Klara, her long-time friend and advocate for many years.

A Memorial service will be held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church (278 Parnell Rd, St. Catharines), November 30, at 2:00 p.m. A private Interment will take place beforehand.