Obituary of Aart van der Velden

Aart was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on December 6, 1942. He was the first of two children born to Arie and Cornelia van der Velden. He obtained a master’s degree in civil engineering, and worked in the family business of supplying sand, gravel, and concrete to the construction industry. He met his wife Gerrie while he was an engineering student at TNO Delft. They married on July 28, 1967, and together they raised two sons. Arie Jan was born in 1968 and Michiel in 1970. Aart and his family immigrated to Canada on April 3, 1983, first settling near Nanton, Alberta, where Aart tried his hand at commercial beekeeping. In 1991 Aart and Gerrie moved to the Kimberley area and in 2001 their grandsons Tristan and Zachary were born.

Aart loved to work with wood. He built a beautiful log home, wooden toys for his grandchildren, and bird houses and book boxes for his family and friends. Aart just loved to fix things, to solve puzzles, and to build. We will miss his loving attention and broad knowledge.

Aart is survived by his wife Gerrie, his sons Arie Jan (Diana) and Michiel (Lanna), and by his grandchildren Tristan and Zachary. In Holland by his sister Marijke Spijker (Cor) as well as his nephews and nieces Laurens, Vincent, Marjolein, Carolien, Robert Jan, Karin, Marion, and Rene.

The family would like to thank the caregivers who helped Aart. Your compassion and care are greatly appreciated.

A memorial for Aart will be held at McPherson Funeral Home in Kimberley on Saturday December 17 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bladder Cancer Canada or to the Kimberley food bank.