Johan passed away peacefully into the loving arms of his Lord & Saviour at the age of 88. He was born in Avereest in the province of Overijssel, the Netherlands. He married the love of his life, Johanna Vanlenthe on April 1, 1953 and was married for 64 years. They immigrated to Canada in the spring of 1957 with 2 children. Two more sons were added to the family later. In 1959 the family moved to O’Connor Township to begin a dairy farm. In 1969 the family moved to the dairy farm on Highway 61 where they lived until they retired in 1990 at which time they moved to Rosslyn village.
Johan is survived by his wife, Johanna, his children: Maggie (Fred) Brandsma, Jerry (Marion), Ralph (Jacqueline), Gerald (Tracy) He is also survived by his sister, Hennie (Jan) van der Veen in the Netherlands, and by 17 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, Roelof and Margje Bakker, great grandsons: Noah Bakker, Jonah Bakker, his sister Jennie and his brother Jan and other relatives on the Netherlands.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 18, 2017 at 1:00pm in the United Reformed Church of Thunder Bay, with Rev. Ancel Merwin officiating. Interment will precede in Stanley Hill Cemetery, with the family leaving the church at 11:30 am. Visitation will be held on S
