Amanda's Father

I created this site so that I could share my thoughts, and the life of my Dad,
whom I loved very much. Dad will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Dad was born in Holland. He was the third of four boys to Garret and Aaltja Van Dyk.
After the war Garret moved his family to Canada. They first settled in Sarnia in 1951. They sold the house and went to B.C.to visit with John and his family for the summer, in 1963, before they settled down in Orillia. While in BC Alex and his younger brother Joop, who came to visit in the fall of 1964, started working for a logging company. Gerrit traveled by train to Orillia, Ontario where he bought a home for them. Later, Alex and his Mom, traveled to Orillia, by car. (Oma was already sick at the time), and passed way 2 years later, from cancer.

Dad, was diagnosed with Diabetes in the early 80s. I didn't find out until 1986. Dad had to be hospitalized for over a month at Solders Memorial . When he had to have surgery on his foot to remove his big toe. This was the end to working for Dad, the Diabetes just took hold and he started to lose his vision, he was constantly getting Diabetic Ulcers on his feet and legs. We went through years of having the Victorian Order of Nurses coming in to care for him. Everyone of them were wonderful, they all knew him from the shop, they also knew how hard it was for him to be home, and not out with his customers, so they kept him up to date on what every one was doing.

In 1990, I fell in love with my now husband Sid. We moved out of Orillia in 1991, to live clear across the country to B.C. We stayed there about 6 months. I didn't like the rainy winter, being from the East, there has to be snow in the winter months. So we moved one more time to the Big City of Edmonton Alberta.

Dad still had family to look after him; he started to go for dinners at his nephew George's. George and Margaret had 3 children, and Dad enjoyed the time he spent with them very much. George would help Dad with the mail and filling out the Lotto 6-49 slips every week. Dad quit driving soon after I left, this to, was hard for him to give up this independence and to rely on others, when for so long he was the one people could rely on.

In 1995 Dad had to sell his house in Orillia, to move into a Seniors Home in Burlington Ont. His older brother John and his wife Paula live there. So with much regret and hesitation about leaving a town he lived in for 31 years, and the house he and my Mom built for each other, and for their children to have one day. He was off, to meet new people and embark on a new adventure.

Alex lived in Burlington Ont. for 2 years. He enjoyed being around his brother John, and he got to visit with his Father Gerrit, who also came to live in Burlington, from Bloomfield Ont. Gerrit was in a nursing home after leaving the care of his Stepdaughter Mary. Alex really enjoyed visiting his Father, as they were very close family. They lived next to each other, while in Orillia.

Dads Diabetes wasn't getting any better and his eyesight was worse. He was legally blind now, and with his failing health, and due to the health of his brother and his wife, it was getting to hard for them to care for him.
In May of 1996, Dad came to visit us here in Edmonton. He told us about living in Burlington, and how he really liked everyone, but it wasn't for him. So in the summer of the same year, he moved from Burlington, to Edmonton to live with my husband Sid and myself.

Alex was in Edmonton less than a month when his father Gerrit passed away at the age of 99 years young. This was a very hard time for Alex, when he left Burlington he knew his Dad was going to die, he just didn't think it would have been so soon after he left.

We got Dad settled into seniors housing complex here in Edmonton, called the Betel Seniors Center. Here he made new friends and we were able to do a lot for him. He was particularly fond of the idea of being here with me. Dad also looked forward to visits from his brothers John, and Joop and his nephew Mike when every they could make the trip to see him..

In December 1998, my husband and I had a baby girl. We named her Bryanna. Alex named her Princess. He had become an Opa and he couldn't have been happier about that.

In 1999 his brother Bill, who lived in Orillia, was diagnosed with Cancer. They tried to operate, but with no success, he passed away in year 2000. This took Dad into a bit of depression. He couldn't believe that this could happen to someone so full of life, with so much to give to the world. This was a time when Dad himself, started to feel sick all the time. He was tired, and didn't want to be around anybody, and started shutting himself into the apartment. Just the Home Care Nurses and us, were the only ones to see him.

In May 2000, my husband and I had a baby boy. We named him Steven Alex James. Alex named him Alexander the Great! He was an Opa again. We didn't even get a chance to call the family to tell them, as he did it before we could. He was so proud.

Dad's Health	Dad's Work
Our Family	Thank you

Stories from Brother John