Obituary of Adriana Duivenvoorden

Adriana (Jane, Sjaan) Duivenvoorden

With heartfelt sadness, we wish to announce the peaceful passing of our beloved mother, Adriana Johanna (Jane, Sjaan) van Schie Duivenvoorden, on November 12, 2025 in Humber Village, Newfoundland. She was 100 years old and had achieved a century of mindful living and getting things done. A ‘fruitful’ life, she would have called it, conjuring up one of her favourite words.

Mom was born into a lively and loving family of 15 children on January 21, 1925 in Warmond, The Netherlands. She became acquainted with chores at an early age, but she was also a good student who enjoyed sketching, sewing, the outdoors, huge family gatherings, and later, ballroom dancing. When she met Dad in her early twenties, she liked everything about him except his ambition to emigrate to Canada. But love eventually won her over, and the day after they were married in 1952, they took leave of their families and bravely set sail for Halifax.

After a month-long combination of misadventure and good fortune, Mom and Dad found their footing on a deteriorating farm in Armstrong Brook. Over the years they transformed it into a thriving enterprise and wonderful place to raise our family. Mom had endless energy, robust health and a calm and reassuring presence. She was grounded and ever-practical, offering timely wisdom and gentle guidance as necessary. She had a wry sense of humour that we all loved. She was generous and flexible; if we brought a friend home for dinner, there was always an extra plate and plenty of food.

We had our chores and were expected to do them, but Mom was undeniably the hardest worker herself, always in the background where she felt most comfortable. She and Dad were a good team, and side by side with him she became a capable and dedicated dairy farmer in her own right. If she wasn’t in the house, we could find her in the barn. Throughout our childhood and far beyond, she was our steadfast rock, our safe harbour, our candle in the window.

Mom was an amazing seamstress and her perfect stitches were a work of art. She could make and mend anything and did so with flair. She darned our socks and repaired a mountain of work clothes, and somehow still found time to sew clothes for our dolls and Halloween costumes.

When she first arrived in Canada, Mom’s lack of English made her quite bashful, but over the years she developed many friendships and became a cherished member of her church, CWL and community. She was genuine, pleasant, and slow to anger, and she rarely had a negative thing to say about anyone. She also rarely sat still, and in later years became an enthusiastic member of the Dusty Sneakers exercise group.

Mom had incredible composure and inner strength, and a quiet faith that ran deep without pretence. Her faith, especially, helped her to overcome the untimely deaths of two young children, two adult children, and our beloved Dad just after they’d retired to their new home. Mom continued to live there for 25 more years, tending her garden, mending clothes for the grandchildren, hosting visitors, and playing cards or rummy with family every Sunday afternoon. She loved her life and infused coziness into everything she did.

Mom was well into her nineties when she finally accepted a longstanding invitation from family in Newfoundland to come and live with them. It felt like a homecoming of sorts to her, and she was immediately content there, giving thanks in her prayers every day for, “the best life a senior could have.” She also prayed daily to St. Anthony, her lifelong favourite saint, and she had no problem loading him up with petitions to keep her widespread family safe from all harm and troubles.

Mom will be greatly missed by the six of us — Trudy (Wayne), Nick (Pauline), Pauline (Phil), Carl (Karen), Jane (Ron), Yvonne (Mark), and by the 11 grandchildren for whom she was a wonderful Oma — David, Derek (Sarah), Caroline, Aaron (Anais), Laura (Pat), Scott (Vanessa), Anika (Chad), Karlee (André), Noah, Paul and Eric. Mom also leaves behind six dear great-grandchildren — Jonah, Ira, Ben, Aden, Ava and Arlo.

Mom is survived by four dear sisters in The Netherlands, and was predeceased by her beloved husband, Gerard, in 1992, and by her cherished children Ben, Kate, Gerry and Paul.

We are grateful for the many wonderful people who extended support and friendship to Mom over the years. Special thanks to Gertie Killoran, a close friend for more than six decades, and Patsy Turple, a long-time friend and neighbour who Mom saw as a daughter. Also to Flo Guitard, who gave Mom rides to Dusty Sneakers and made exercise enjoyable, and to the Dusty Sneakers gang for making it a lively social event.  

Special thanks also to Mom’s outstanding support team in Newfoundland, namely her devoted caregivers Nataliia, Sarah and Maggie. And to the many health care professionals and staff of the NL Health Palliative Care, Community Health, and Paramedicine Programs who enabled us to keep Mom safely and comfortably at home. And to the pharmacists at Lawton’s in Deer Lake as well as the Home Health Care Team at Lawton’s in Corner Brook. They were all essential partners on this journey with Mom.

Special thanks as well to Father Gerard Patry, who came to the house almost every Sunday with Communion and kindness after Mom was no longer able to make it to church.

A Funeral Mass will be held for Mom at St. Gabriel’s Church in Jacquet River on Friday, November 21 at 2:00pm, with Father Keith officiating. A reception will follow at the Jacquet River Legion.

A Memorial Mass will be held at the Holy Rosary Parish Church in Pasadena, NL on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 11:00am, with Father Gerard Patry officiating.

Everyone is welcome at both celebrations.

In lieu of flowers, donations will be gratefully accepted by Saint Gabriel the Archangel Church, 4114 Main Street, Belledune, Holy Rosary Church (holyrosarydonate@gmail.com), and The Daily TV Mass (www.dailytvmass.com), causes that were important to Mom. Or feel free to give to a charity of your choice.

Thank you for everything, Mom. We love you, we miss you, and we’ll never forget you.