May 25, 2020
1946-2020 ~ On Monday May 25, 2020 Hetty Ploeg, nee Koedyk, passed away peacefully to be home with her Saviour, surrounded by loving family and friends.
Hetty was born in 1946 in the Netherlands and immigrated to Winnipeg Canada as a young girl. She had a passion for travel in her early twenties and backpacked around Europe and North Africa. In her love of helping others she had a career in healthcare until her children were born when she stayed home and raised her girls to appreciate all the beauty of nature; from birds, to trees, streams, moss and gardening.
Hetty was an established and enthusiastic gardener. When living in the Yukon she grew every possible flower, fruit and vegetable in her greenhouse despite all odds. After settling in the Comox Valley, Hetty's garden soon became the envy of the neighbourhood, and she generously shared her plants and knowledge with anyone who was interested. She passed on her love of travel and gardening to both of her daughters; Heather who now resides in Singapore and Cynthia, who lives in England with her husband and children.
Hetty had a strong Christian faith and love to spread the gospel, especially in the later years of her life. She used every opportunity to share her love for Jesus and it compelled her in the use of her time and resources. She volunteered tirelessly, from church fairs to Sunday school classes, helping in the kitchen at a Christian camp and weekly volunteering in the hospital. She canvassed for the Heart and Stroke foundation and freely gave of her warm hugs as an usher in the church. She lived her life to the full as a faithful follower of Christ.
Out of all the lessons in life she taught us she had one last lesson to share; it was to die with joy, peace; humour and dignity.
Preceded by her father Dick Koedyk, her mother, Alice Koedyk, and husband, Jacques Gerard, Hetty is survived by her eldest daughter, Heather Jacqueline and her youngest daughter, Cynthia Renee (Stephen Walker), her grandchildren, Matthew, Emily and Ben and her brother Peter.