Corrie Boekel

Corrie Boekel passed away at home, surrounded by her family, on July 18, 2012, during the most vibrant time of her garden.

She will be missed by her husband, Arie Boekel, her son Matthew Boekel, her daughter Rachel Boekel, son-in-law Geordie Heal, her precious granddaughters, Vera and Stevie Heal, and her siblings, Annelies (Helmut) Geisler, Gert (Desiree) Snijders and Derk Snijders. She is predeceased by her parents, Elizabeth and Gerrit Snijders, her brother, Jan Snijders and her sister, Ella Montgomery.

Corrie was born in Zwanenburg, Holland on December 12, 1948, and spent her youth stirring up raucous fun with her engaging siblings. In her young adult life she began traveling and exploring the world, particularly Canmore, Alberta, Canada, where she later brought Arie to start off on a joint adventure.

In Canmore, Corrie and Arie built a tight and loving family, a strong business and a very solid group of friends. In her spare time, when she wasn't conversing with all the "lovely ladies" and "handsome men" in town, she was cultivating her now mature and colourful garden.

In 1999, in a shared dream, Corrie along with Arie, Rachel, and Matthew, took off on a year long trip around the world, a trip that changed the course of their relationships to one of deeper friendships and gave the travel bug to her two children. Since that adventure Corrie and Arie spent numerous months over the years exploring more countries and grew their love for cultural interaction and new places.

In 2010, Corrie became an Oma, a role she embraced with an exceptional amount of joy and excitement. She was often met in town boasting about her new princesses. She spent as much time as she could playing in her yard, painting, and cuddling with them.

During her illness Corrie kept busy making wooden toys, having happy hour with friends, and getting out for small trips. Never was her fierce spirit dampened.

In lieu of flowers, it was Corrie's request that people engage in random acts of kindness. In her own words: "Smile a lot to young and old, give a hand to someone who needs it, buy a cheap bouquet of flowers and give it to someone who you think might need it, just because. Take a lonely person for a coffee, lunch, or dinner. In other words do something out of the ordinary; the smile upon their face will be so much fun. Be creative."

A memorial Celebration of Life service was held Tuesday, July 24, 2012 in the Creekside Hall, Canmore Seniors Centre.

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.