Willemina (Wilma) Wiederhold Andela
Wilma was born Apr. 4 1931, Enschede, Netherlands. She was the 2nd of 7 kids – 3 sisters and 3 brothers. Her father owned an Electronics and Appliance business, ran out of their house. A particular difficult time for the family was WWII, during the time of occupation, German Nazi’s took over the store portion of their home leaving Wilma, her mom and siblings the rest of the house. This was a very influential part of her life as memories seemed to come back late in life. Her father’s business did well in the post war boom and Wilma was able to finish high school and enroll in a technical school to gain work at the time in secretary/clerical pools. She was a very beautiful young lady, yet she wrote in some of her albums that the boys were scared of her 😊, so her social life was focused on a couple of good friends, and through this she met Hessel.
Wilma and Hessel were engaged Jan. 1, 1952, and married June 15, 1955. Wilma and Hessel had 3 children. Herma was born 1956 and Mom took on the role of motherhood, while Hessel continued in his career. John (1961) and Brenda (1968) were added to the family over time. They began in a flat in Hilversum and moved 6 times, their last home on the Theo van Loon Straat in Hengelo.
1982, came the biggest change for the family. Wilma, Hessel, John and Brenda emigrated and settled in Whitby, ON. They took over Hessel’s brothers’ bakery – Whitby Home Bakery and Coffee Shop. Herma was already married and so remained in the Netherlands. This was a dream of Wilma and Hessel, to move elsewhere (although we heard that maybe a bit more of a dream of Hessel than Wilma 😉), nevertheless the move was successful. They ran the bakery for about 10 years eventually selling the business and the building. Wilma was 51 when she landed in Whitby and although an exciting adventure, those early years of being in Canada were challenging for Wilma, as she struggled with not being near her siblings, her mom, and the former life she knew. However, she found a great community to which came lifelong friends to this day.
Wilma and Hessel joined the Christian Reformed Church Community (Hebron and Zion CRC’s) and the church was able to support and embrace them particularly as many of their friends were immigrants and could relate to the move.
Hessel was diagnosed with kidney disease, and in 2003 the condition progressed restricting their ability to travel. Hessel passed away 2008 and that left a real gap in Wilma’s life, however, she was able to enjoy travelling back to Netherlands 2 separate times to catch up and reacquaint with family.
Wilma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 2018, although she was showing signs earlier. Moving to an Assisted Living home at Lynde Creek helped maintain her quality of life, but eventually she needed more care. Wilma moved to Markhaven Feb 2019. There she was able to enjoy the activities, and the care she received from family and the staff kept her engaged. Wilma was always very particular with her appearance, to be dressed well, hair done, jewelry attached, and the staff were happy to accommodate. It made her feel more prepared for the day. She enjoyed those days most when she sat in the hair dressers chair getting a cut and curl, or having a mani/pedi etc. She loved to hear the comments of how nice her hairdo looked, her face lit up and that smile - always special. A good thing now but the boys were still scared of her.
Her condition also brought past fears and memories buried deep, we believe experienced during the war. And so many times the home or the family had to reassure Wilma everything was fine. Unfortunate as it was, it really impacted her for days when this happened. Still Wilma had a way about her that was kind, she had a sense of humour, and she always could smile back. In her moments of clarity she would mention to Brenda that she was sad because she forgets everything, or she is confused. So it was in those times where a clear connection remained. The staff at Markhaven were kind and caring to her, as she treated everyone fairly and with kindness. She learned to recognize smiles while looking above the masks into the eyes, and she would respond with her own smile, often a joke (in dutch) although no one knew dutch, they could laugh together.
Wilma died as a result of complications of Alzheimer’s. We thank the staff, particularly in ‘1 North’ for their kindness, their compassion, the love they returned, and the personal attention shown to Wilma.
And so, Wilma is now with her Lord and Saviour celebrating and dancing reunited with her siblings gone before her, her mom and dad, and her beloved husband Hessel. Wilma will be remembered by her children Herma, John (Nicola), and Brenda (David). Her grandchildren Kimberly (Ben), Petra (Jonathan), Danielle (Jonathan), Joshua, Marieka, and Annalies, and 6 great grandchildren. Wilma is predeceased by her husband Hessel (Feb 17, 2008), and granddaughter Elvira (June 12, 2024).