It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my mother Jos Atkins after a long battle with Parkinson’s and Diabetes on November 13, 2021, at the age of 92. She was predeceased by her husband Wim, her son Richard, and her older sister Dietje. Born in Bussum, The Netherlands, she grew up during the war. Post war, she worked as a journalist for local newspapers.
After her marriage in 1957, her husband wanted to leave crowded Holland. Her sister sponsored them to come to Aylmer, Quebec, where Jos immediately got a job as a bank teller. They moved to L’Orignal, Ontario, once her husband found a research job in chemistry, in Hawkesbury. She took great pride in raising her 2 children.
She joined the Women’s Institute and enjoyed her weekly bridge and coffee clubs. For many years, she worked for the Canadian Cancer Society. Once her children were in the last years of high school, she worked part time at the Potpourri Gift Shop at Chateau Montebello, followed by The Four Corners Store in Ottawa.
She enjoyed walking daily but travelling was her great passion. She would read Fromer’s Book ‘Europe on $5 & $10 a Day’ and plan the family 6-week vacation every 4 years, writing to embassies, booking trains and small hotels. In later years, she booked group tours with her husband or sister throughout Europe and Morocco. She also joined her sister on many trips across Canada and New England in her campervan.
She was a very sweet lady and will be greatly missed by her daughter, Nancy and those who knew her.
