May 25, 2022
In Loving Memory (1932 - 2022) ~
Betty Huiberts (nee Van Velzen), loved and cherished so deeply, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on May 25th, 2022.
She is survived by Jim, her loving husband of 67 years, by five of her children: Joan (John), Yvonne (Drew), Audrey (Daniel), Mim, and Dan (Kris), nine grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren, and was predeceased by her daughter, Karen.
Betty was born in Den Hoorn, Holland during the Depression, the middle child of a family of nine. She grew up surrounded by the beauty of The Netherlands. After high school, she took a seamstress course, which was an invaluable skill that she used throughout her life, making everything from clothing for her children to gifts for friends and family.
In 1955, she set sail for Canada to meet her fiancée, Jim, whom she met by responding to an ad in a Dutch newspaper. When she arrived in Nelson, she met the first of many treasured life-long Canadian friends, Teresa and Frank Steenvoorden, whom she stayed with until her wedding day.
Using those seamstress skills, she designed and sewed her own wedding dress, as well as that of her flower girl. While in Nelson, she learned English from a friendly neighbour, and there, Jim and Betty brought into the world their first of their many children: two daughters.
Within three years, Jim and Betty moved their young family to their newly acquired dairy farm in Sunshine Bay. Over the next decade, four more children arrived to share their busy farm life. The fields and gardens produced an abundance of produce and livestock, and her flower beds a myriad of roses, lilies and tulips.
Her home was adorned with the rich blue Dutch porcelain to remind her of her homeland. To make some extra money, Betty started a bedding plant business, which thrived for over 20 years. Her sturdy, healthy tomato plants were always sought after.
She became an upstanding community member, joining the Catholic Ladies Society, Procter Hall board, and later the Seniors group. Community members could always count on her to help out.
Betty believed in being productive and was always baking, cleaning or preserving food from their large garden. At night she spent her time knitting, crocheting, doing needlepoint, quilting and, later in life, painting. She was an artist with a good eye for colour and detail, very much a perfectionist. Her abundant creations adorn many homes of those she loved.
She was the family dinner organizer and party planner. Our "Oma", with the kind, caring heart that her large extended family would gather around. The kitchen table was always set with cups of tea and her kitchen always smelled of freshly baked bread and cookies, ready to be served: it was her way of welcoming her family, friends and new acquaintances into her home. There was always room for you at her table.
In 2016, Betty and Jim sold the family farm to one of their grandsons and moved into Lake View Village in Nelson, where they made many new friends with the staff and residents. Betty was active in her friend group and, rumour has it, one of the best carpet bowlers around.
Betty Huiberts lived her 89 years to the fullest. She was a loving and dedicated wife, an attentive and affectionate mother and a delightful, devoted Oma. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered for the loving energy that she gave to so many....truly a life well spent.