Mother, farmer, seamstress extraordinaire
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see!”
Mom was born just before the Second World War, which changed her family’s lives — and her country, Holland — forever.
Being the second-oldest child of eight, she became a “mother hen” to her younger siblings.
During the war, her father hid a Canadian airman who had parachuted into a field near the back of their home. The German army located this soldier, and her father was promptly detained and put into the nearest prison camp. My mom had very vivid memories of visiting her father and talking with him through the wire fencing. Fortunately, in 1945 the war ended, the Netherlands were was liberated, and her father was freed.
In her teenage years, Mom became a seamstress, and all income she earned was turned over to the family. She also made clothes for her family as well as herself, including her navy wedding suit.
Mom married my father, Abraham Penning, on April 28, 1954, when she was 19. In 1955, their first son (Johannes) was born, followed by me, their first daughter (Adriana) in 1958.
In 1958, Mom’s parents decided to emigrate to Canada. They brought five of her younger siblings. My mother missed her family terribly, and shortly thereafter, my parents started proceedings to come to Canada, too. We landed in Ottawa in 1961. Mom worked as a seamstress for Glebe Tailors on Bank Street six days a week. She continued to sew all our clothes, too.
In 1966, Mom’s parents, after working for years on other farms, were finally able to buy their own dairy farm in Cumberland. She and Dad became partners with them on this 200-acre farm. One year later, tragedy stuck when Mom’s father had a massive heart attack and died. We buried him on his 55th birthday.
Mom and Dad wanted to continue living her father’s dream, even though neither one of my parents knew how to farm. My parents decided to buy the farm, and Mom quit her job as seamstress, though she continued to sew all our clothes.
The first year on the farm, six cows died, machinery broke, crops failed ... it was hard to make ends meet financially. Every day was a learning experience for my parents. In 1971, a fourth child was born, Mom’s last child, a daughter Susanna. And, she continued to sew all our clothes.
My mom not only had to run the household and raise four children, but worked on the dairy farm from 4:30 a.m. until after I went to bed at night, seven days a week. Mom would help with milking and feeding the cows, cleaning and maintaining the barn, help with harvesting and maintaining the flower and vegetable gardens. And still, she continued to sew all our clothes.
In 1982, the dairy farm was sold and Mom finally got her dream log house on a 10-acre wooded lot in Cumberland. Her flower and vegetable gardens were the talk of the town! Mom’s nine grandchildren visited regularly, running through the pathways she had made in the forest and picking her flowers.
In 2006, Mom’s seven-year-old granddaughter passed away suddenly. Mom was devastated, and it was that year, her memory issues became worse.
In 2007, she was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s. She passed away last August from complications due to Alzheimer’s, at the age of 77.
Mom’s children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, all inherited her work ethics, values and the love of the outdoors. I miss her and think of her every day, and smile.