Dad

Dad trained as a carpenter. I think it's pretty accurate to say that he loved working with wood and took a lot of pride in his work. He was the first to admit he was not a finishing carpenter but he loved making things. I can remember him making a beautiful desk (where did it end up, by the way?); when it came to the finishing, he asked me to help. I did the sanding, staining, and varnishing. It made me so proud to be trusted to help Dad "finish" a beautiful project.

One thing I remember as a child was being allowed to "play" with his ruler. It came with him from Holland and it was like nothing I'd ever seen here. By the way, when I say "play", we were allowed to examine it, under close supervision, opening it up and closing it repeatedly. I always had a feeling that it was one of his prized possessions. If his report card (below) is any indication, I would guess that he'd had the ruler since about 1946.

This meter stick (NL used the metric system while Canada, at that time, still used the Imperial system), folded in half and then in half again, with brass fittings and hinges. When I told my son it would end up in his hands, he remembered Grandpa allowing him to "play" with it as well.

Included in all the paperwork that came home with me after Mom's passing was also Dad's report card from the Ambachtschool (Trade School) he attended. Also in with the papers was his graduation certificate (which I will post another day). His report card covered what looks like three years of school. I'm not sure of all the categories but it shows that he was a pretty decent student, even doing well in Algebra! 

Honestly, a lot of what Mom saved doesn't really have much relevance anymore but I'm really pleased that things like this ruler, their report cards (yes, Mom's too), and other papers relevant to their early lives, and not just their memories, were saved. 

The People Who Made Us

Pake and Beppe Teijema

 

Pake and Beppe VanderWerf

Mom and Dad emigrated to Canada in 1953, a month after they married. At that time, I'm sure their parents never expected to see them again. Canada was a distant place and travel between the continents was out of reach for the average person.

It wasn't until 1962  that Mom and Dad saved up enough money to take the entire family (5 children, 7 years old and under at that time) on a 6-week trip to visit their families. As the eldest, I still have many memories of that trip. When we arrived at Beppe Teijema's house, she had the Christmas tree up and decorated.... with real candles! She even lit them one evening so we could see what candles on the tree looked like, with the warning that we were not to get too close and it would be the only time. It was magical!

At Beppe VanderWerf's, I remember that we girls, 4 of us, slept in a bedstee, basically a bed closet. While the adults gathered in the living room one evening, Beppe allowed us each to have a cookie, with the warning that we shouldn't crumble or the mice would come looking for the crumbs. We made absolutely sure there were no crumbs! 

Before we left for home, Beppe gave me a little pair of klompen (wooden shoes) that my mom had given her. I found out years later that the klompen were part of a good bye gift that my mother had purchased for her mother. Mom was not happy that Beppe had given them to me but, years later, she admitted that she was happy I still had them. 

I recall, too, that I was allowed to stay with Beppe Teijema while the rest of the family spent a week with the other grandparents. It was during that week, when none of the other kids were around, that I was allowed to play with my aunt's old doll and carriage, which had been stored in the attic and was put away when my parents and siblings returned. 

We never did get to meet Pake Teijema; he had passed away by the time we made the trip to the Netherlands. Eventually, Beppe Teijema made the trip to Canada; she visited twice, once on her own and once with her son, our Oom Ale. 

I don't know if other children of immigrants felt the same but I always felt that, by leaving their homeland, our parents denied us our extended families. We grew up without those roots. Don't get me wrong; I'm not blaming them. From what we were told, they felt that they had a better future in Canada than they did in the Netherlands. And so, here we are.

The little klompen given me by Beppe VanderWerf, 

part of a good bye gift that included chocolate, according to Mom.

Introduction

June 4, 1953
Sjoerd Teyema and Akke van der Werf

I'm pretty sure that Mom would be horrified to know that a light is being shone on her life, and Dad's. I've been trying to come up with a way of honoring their lives that we could all contribute to and, after a lot of thought and deliberation, I think this is a good way. It will be a work in progress, with more being added as time goes on.

I invite you, my siblings, my family to contribute your stories, your memories, your pictures of Mom and Dad. I will be scanning a lot of the mementos I have here; honestly, I never realized just how much stuff Mom saved. A lot of it is irrelevant, really, but some of it is pretty special and deserves to be shared. This is the place. Hopefully, this can be a place where grandchildren and great grandchildren can learn about the people they called Grandma and Grandpa and Beppe and Pake. 

I still haven't decided on an exact format but this is, at the very least, a start.

If you would like to contribute, you are more than welcome to do so. Email photos and memories to me or request permission to become a contributor. Please, keep in mind that I have a mass of photos here as well and I know there are a lot of duplicates out there. I may not use every picture sent my way. If you are a family member in the Netherlands, you are also welcome to share your memories and photos. I may need a little help with translating some things but I encourage you to contribute any way you feel compelled. 

I hope this will be a labour of love, a celebration of the lives of two people who shared a pretty amazing adventure.

Contact me with your questions, photos, memories. I can be reached at evskae@gmail.com