Obituary of Tina Vonhof

January 29, 1939 - Den Haag, The Netherlands

January 18, 2024 - Calgary, Alberta

Tina Vonhof, of Calgary, AB, passed away on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at the age of 84 years.

Tina is survived by her daughter Saskia Vonhof and son-in-law Greg Carney, living in London, UK; and her son Maarten Vonhof, his partner Kala Willette, and grandson Alex Vonhof, living in Michigan, USA. Tina is also survived by her sister Marian Overbroek and brother-in-law Han Overbroek, living in Delft, Netherlands; sister-in-law Truus van der Meer van Houtum, living in Apeldoorn, Netherlands; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Tina immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands in 1963 and first lived in Saskatoon, SK. She moved to Calgary, AB in 1972. A number of her friendships began back in the Netherlands or in Saskatoon, and somehow a lot of these friends also ended up in Calgary. She treasured these lifelong friendships but also the new friends she met along the way.

Tina was an artist for many years and produced beautiful works of pottery. She loved to learn and was an avid reader, and she enjoyed sitting on her balcony or in a comfy chair with a good book in her hands. She took the bold step of going back to university in her 40s, completing not only a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Calgary, but also a master’s degree in gerontology at the University of Guelph. Based on her master’s research, she co-wrote the book One Day at a Time: How Families Manage the Experience of Dementia which won an award from the American Nurses Association.

After her master’s, Tina worked a variety of jobs at the University of Calgary: in the Faculty of Medicine working with international students, as a professional interviewer doing end-of-life interviews, and as an editor for a nursing journal. For the past twenty-plus years, she was a Dutch to English translator and editor and continued that work almost until the day she died.

As a person, Tina was soft spoken, introspective and a real thinker. She was an amazing listener. She always thought carefully before speaking and was very measured and thoughtful in her responses. She was also fiercely independent (a trait she definitely passed on to her children!). Tina was extremely generous and charitable, with a strong sense of social justice. Always interested in helping others, she worked for translators without borders performing free translation services for those in need.

Tina was adventurous, starting with moving to a new country across an ocean sight unseen, traipsing through Europe and the Canadian prairies with her husband for research or work. She had no trouble roughing it and always made things work. She went on many trips with her daughter, including whitewater rafting in Jasper, AB, and exploring the island of Curacao for her 70th birthday, returning there for the first time since living there as a child in the late 1940s. She loved being in and on water and was a keen swimmer.

As a mother, Tina was patient and loving. She gave us a true childhood with tremendous freedom to explore our world and experience new things. She went to every event and was always there to support and encourage us. She was a strong role-model, encouraging us to follow our dreams and to not let anything stand in our way.

Our mother was small in stature, but had great strength, courage, and determination throughout her life, to the last moment.

In living memory of Tina Vonhof, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.