Peter van Moorsel
Peter van Moorsel died at home on Oct. 8, 2003 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 68.
He was born on Oct. 6, 1935 to Martin Van Moorsel and Maria Van Zutphen in the village of Boekel in Noord Brabant, Holland. One of five children, he was raised in Boekel until 1952 when his family immigrated to Canada.
Upon arriving in Canada, one of his first jobs was as a tug boat operator during the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Later he worked in construction until finally settling on the family farm in Glen Becker in 1959.
He was married to Mary Vloet in Finch in 1961. They worked closely together running the dairy farm and raising their four children. He loved life on the farm.
A man dedicated to eduction, he was actively involved in the Roman Catholic school board for more than 30 years. From 1964 to 1969 he worked as a volunteer trustee for St. Mary's School in Morrisburg. During his 19 years of service as an elected trustee of the SD&G separate school board, he chaired the board for two consecutive terms and acted as vice-chair for one term. He was greatly respected by all his colleagues.
He was a faithful member of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Morrisburg where he sat on the church property and finance committee.
He retired in 2001 and built a home in Mariatown where he enjoyed puttering and gardening, visiting with his neighbors and watching the boats go by on the St. Lawrence River.
He is loved and will always be missed by his wife Mary, and his children and their spouses: Barbara (Kevin Forbes) of Ottawa; Jeffrey (Louise) of Glen Becker; Christine (Bruce Smith) of Montreal; and Carolyn (Gustavo Salazar) of San Jose, Costa Rica. His grandchildren will also miss their Opa: Brenden and Griffin Forbes; Brian, Shannon and Jane van Moorsel; Annalies and Daisy Smith; and Isabela and Sofia Salazar-van Moorsel.
He will be fondly remembered by his sister Nolda (Gerry Byvelds) of Williamsburg; and his brother Bill (Eleanor) of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He was predeceased by his brothers Ted and Harry. He will also be missed by his large and loving extended family and his many friends and neighbors.
Friends called at the Marsden and McLaughlin Funeral Home in Williamsburg on Oct. 9 and 10. Mass of Christian burial was held at St. Mary's Church in Morrisburg on Oct. 11 with Father Sebastian Arikat officiating. Pallbearers were Raymond Van Moorsel, Pat Byvelds, John Verhoeven, Gerry Vandenberg, David Smits and Martin Vloet.
Donations to the Winchester District Memorial Hospital or the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre would be appreciated by the family.