Obituary of Elsje Catharina Jansen
November 12, 1938 - Nijmegen, The Netherlands
August 23, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta
Elsje Catharina Jansen of Calgary, AB, passed away on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at the age of 84 years
Elsje was born on November 12,1938 in Nijmegen, The Netherlands to Dingeman and Catharina. She was raised in Leiden with her seven sisters and four brothers; a city that remained near and dear to her heart. She is survived by her sons, Martijn and Michiel; and her siblings, Dien, Arjaan, Daan, Tineke, Paulien, Coby, Lenie, and Adrie.
She worked as a medical lab technologist in Leiden before immigrating to Canada in 1968. If asked about how she came, she would say kicking and screaming. Despite this initial consternation, she developed a love of the Rocky Mountains. She spent many summers hiking with her sons and imparting the same love of the mountains to them. In her retirement, she travelled all over Europe, including a special trip to Greece and Turkey. When she wasn’t travelling, Elsje was proud to join Peace protests in front of the BC legislature, reading books, and watch foreign films at Cinecenta in the University of Victoria. When her sons were older she re-trained as a medical lab technologist at the age of 50. She worked for several years in Calgary and Victoria where she eventually retired. During this time she also volunteered for two years at a VSO hospital in Tanzania and fell in love with the continent.
Elsje will be remembered for her fierce independence, strong will, big laugh, and strength with which she faced her battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Funeral Services will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB) on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Family and friends who are unable to attend in person are invited to join Ms. Jansen’s service streamed live (see below) on the day of the service. For those who are unable to view live, a recording of the service will be posted. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Elsje’s family there.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to Doctors Without Borders, 551 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 0N8, www.doctorswithoutborders.ca or to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 280 Albert Street, Suite 401, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5G8 www.unhcr.ca.
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