Kindergarten teacher dies in crash
Sister of Petes broadcaster
A kindergarten teacher with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, the sister of Peterborough Petes radio playby-play announcer Rob Snoek, was killed in a collision Tuesday in Cobourg.
Joyce SnoekHoekstra died at the scene after the collision at about 11 p.m. Tuesday on Danforth Road East, near Greer Road in the east end of Cobourg.
She had been a teacher at Dr. Ross Tilley Public School in Bowmanville.
Her daughter Emily was also seriously injured in the crash and was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto for treatment.
“We are all deeply saddened by this loss. Joyce was a very caring, dedicated teacher, and she will be missed deeply by both students and staff here at Dr. Ross Tilley,” principal Setina MacLean said in a letter sent home to parents on Wednesday.
Dr. Ross Tilley staff worked with Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board counsellors on Wednesday, Dec. 20 to tell students about the death in an age-appropriate manner. Staff also called the families of students in Snoek-Hoekstra’s class to tell them about the collision.
To support students and staff, the school board counsellors remained at the school for several days.
The flag outside of the school was lowered to half-mast in remembrance of the beloved teacher.
Rob Snoek, who is also a Canadian Paralympics athlete, posted the following remembrance to his sister on his Facebook page:
“Maybe it will be therapeutic to share this tragic news. My big sister Joyce died in a car accident late Tuesday night in Cobourg.
“Her daughter Emily was also in the crash and is recovering at St Mike’s hospital. Joyce and her husband George are the parents of six children - all of whom are understandably heartbroken. She was also an incredible grandmother to four little ones. “Joyce was an excellent teacher - which hundreds, perhaps thousands, of students from Brampton to Bowmanville to Cobourg can attest. She had energy, passion, compassion, creativity, perseverance and a deep love for her children. In recent years she was teaching kindergarten and loving it. Those were lucky kids. “She was a great sister too .... brought me to my first Star Wars movie in the 70’s and to Canada’s Wonderland the year it opened. She came to the airport to greet me when I returned from the Paralympics. She was a true role model for me growing up. “She made her mark in her family, her Northumberland community, her church and in every school that she entered. “Our prayer is for her family to stay strong without her presence at its core. “It does not seem real. Our hearts are beyond broken. We loved her and will miss her terribly.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.
-- with files from Jennifer O’Meara and Dominik Wisniewski, Metroland