Obituary of Patricia Marsh

Passed away November 22nd at the Freeport Site of Grand River Hospital at the age of 65, three months after being diagnosed with cancer. Pat will be sorely missed by her beloved husband Bob; her children Sarah (Stephen McDonald), Jeffrey (Martha Crealock-Marsh), and Jordan (Anne Lubell); her brothers and sisters and their spouses Florence and Albert Buisman, Alice VanderMeulen, Joe & Ann VanderSchaaf, Anna and Karl de Rooy, John & Gerda VanderSchaaf, Jim & Linda VanderSchaaf, George and Mary VanderSchaaf, Theresa and Andy VanderMeulen, Nancy and Tom Forman, and Margaret and Brian Maan; her sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Marilyn & Tom Vosnos and Steve & Sari Marsh; her dozens of nieces and nephews; as well as her three adoring grandchildren, Sacha, Rowan, and Lyndon. We will particularly miss her presence in January when we anticipate the arrival of her fourth grandchild. Pat was born Pietje VanderSchaaf in the little village of Wouterswoude, Province of Fryslận, Netherlands on Sept 30, 1946. The ninth of eleven children, she immigrated with her family to Canada in 1952 where they eventually settled in the Brampton area in 1957. Pat studied nursing at Hamilton General Hospital (1964-67) where she met her life-long close friends Sharon, Carol, Jan, and Mary. After working for a year, she travelled in Europe the summer of 1968 and it was there, on the beach in Spain, where she met her husband Bob. They married in Evanston, Illinois on March 21st, 1970. Their wedding was remembered fondly decades later by those who attended. Pat was a wonderful caring mother of her and Bob's three children: Sarah (b. 1972), Jeffrey (b. 1975), and Jordan (b. 1977). They raised their family in Kitchener-Waterloo, where Bob taught high school at KCI and Pat worked as a Registered Nurse. For close to 30 years, Pat worked at Grand River Hospital, first in the Emergency Room and later in the Post Anesthetic Care Unit. A compassionate and caring nurse, she followed a strong code of ethics, in both her professional and personal life. She played flute in the K-W Community Orchestra, volunteered at Generations Thrift Store and was an active member of the Taoist Tai Chi Society. She also enjoyed spending time outside on her morning walks, gardening, relaxing on her backyard patio, or being on the shores of big water; the oceans, the Great Lakes, the Mediterranean, it didn't matter, the sight and sound of their rolling waves always gave her comfort. She valued and held dear her large family and close friends. Her love and guidance, her compassion and warmth touched all those who knew her. Pat will be remembered for her kindness, strength of spirit, and her radiant smile.