Catharina was 1 of 8 siblings. When she was 3, her family moved to an Erie View farm in Port Rowan, Ont., where she learned to milk cows, ride horses, cultivate, and harvest. Although poor, the family was enriched by many visiting ministers, missionaries, and relatives. Catharina’s dad led Port Rowan (Ont.) MB Church for many years and they all benefitted. She committed her life to Christ at 12. Catharina enjoyed singing in the choir and teaching Sunday school and vacation Bible school which paved the way to her teaching career. After Eden Bible School, Catharina pursued her high school diploma as an adult and went on to teachers college. She spent 25 years teaching in the Port Rowan area, including one year at Moose Factory, while helping her aging parents. Catharina married Peter in 1970, moving to his farm down the road. Retiring from teaching in 1985 gave her more time to devote to hobbies including gardening, crochet, furniture refinishing, rug hooking, travelling, and photography. She was the church statistician and historian for 20 years and wrote reports for Die Mennonitische Rundschau. Catharina was widowed in 1999. After she and Waldo married, they moved to Tabor Manor, St. Catharines, Ont. where she organized birthday celebrations and visited those confined to their rooms. In recent years, she experienced vision and hearing loss and dementia. Catharina was well cared for at Tabor Manor and made many friends. Her favourite verse was Psalm 16:6: “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”
