Obituary of Nellie de Winter

It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of Nellie (Sneekes) de Winter on March 15, 2022 at the Mill Cove Nursing Home.  Nellie was born in Castricum, The Netherlands on January 25, 1931 as the third of 12 children to Cornelius and Catharina (Boon) Sneekes.  

Nellie worked in the family butcher shop alongside her father until she sailed to Canada three days after her marriage to Johannes “John” Petrus de Winter on May 27, 1952.  They arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax, NS in June 1952 and then travelled by train to Ontario.  They remained in the London area where they owned a chicken farm until 1963.  From there, Nellie and John moved with six children to Sussex, NB where they remained until today.  Nellie had a “fond” dislike for the chicken farm, so she was only too happy to move to the Maritimes.  Nellie was fully occupied as the mother of nine children, but was always a source of support for her husband.  

Nellie is survived by her husband, John, of 70 years and their nine children: Cathy Levangie, Alan (Colleen) de Winter, Caroline (Brian) Higgins, Ted (Jennifer) de Winter, John (Linda) de Winter, Marcus (Maggie Soriano) de Winter, Cornell (Melissa) de Winter, Durck (Beverly) de Winter, Monique (Peter) Gulliver. Nellie was very proud of her children and adored her 28 grandchildren who called her Oma: Jason (Sarah), Andrew Levangie, William (Jessica); Ryan (Emily), Sean (Jocelyn), Colin, Brianna (Jake), Jessica (Steve), Jonathan (Jessica), Theo (Kirsten), Jordan (Kailey), Nicholas (Brittany), Tamara (Fjodor), John (Allyson), Erika, Christopher (Claira), Marika (Brennan), Kate, Nate, Caroline, Cameron, Lindsay, Alexandra, Jayden, Patrick, William, Annika and Seraphina. Nellie was also a “great” Oma to 13 great grandchildren: Annalies, Van, Quinn, Jaxon, Madison, Olivia, Nico, Jamie, Levi, Hayden, Elizabeth, Thomas and Lauren.  Nellie is also survived by her siblings Simon (Annie) Sneekes (London, ON), Gerry Sneekes (Sussex, NB), Wilma Arisz (Sussex, NB), Catherine (Jaap) Bakkum (Oss, Holland), Arcadia Hulsmann (Essen, Germany) and sisters-in-law Corrie, Irma and Athie Sneekes (Holland).  She is predeceased by her parents, brothers Albert, Cornelius, Theo and John Sneekes and sisters Ans (Marius) van den Bos and Riet (Kees) Bentjes.  

In her spare time, Nellie enjoyed needlepoint, knitting and crocheting. She was also known for her steam cake and would bake dozens of them every Christmas for family and friends. Once they became empty nesters, Nellie and John loved to travel with their friends, Karst and Ann Smit, and they had adventures to Europe, western Canada, California and Florida.  Nellie loved returning to Holland to visit family and would often talk about the tulip fields.  She hosted many relatives from Holland and had a special relationship with Tinus and Riet de Winter and their 10 children.  A special mention also needs to be given to Donna Kyte who provided superior care and friendship to Nellie after her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease.   Nellie was also well looked after by the nurses and care staff at Mill Cove Nursing Home,

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Wallace Funeral Home, 34 Sunnyside Drive, Sussex, NB.  Visitation will be held Friday, March 18, 2022 from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm.  The funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 11 am at St. Francis Xavier Church, 114 Church Avenue, Sussex, NB.  A reception will follow at the church hall.  Internment will be scheduled at a later date.  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Red Cross Ukrainian Relief Fund or to a charity of the donor’s choice.