PLEUNIS, JOHANNES LEONARDUS (Jan) - 1909-2008 With great sadness, we announce the passing of Jan Pleunis on January 15, 2008 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, at age 98. Jan was born in the Netherlands, near Delfi, on November 26, 1909. He was an only child who; as a teenager, went on summer bicycle trips throughout Europe. He went on to obtain a post-secondary technical education that should have taken him into the engineering field; how- ever, Jan had a deep love of and connection with animals, and in the late 1920's became employed at a silver fox breeding farm, where he developed specialized diets and enclosures to improve upon the breeding success of silver foxes. The stock market crash eventually ended that venture and caused him to establish a very successful boarding kennel for cats and dogs for about 10 years in The Hague, which the Second World War brought to an end in 1942. He married in 1946, and to support his growing family, found employment at a rayon factory, near Arnhem. It was a secure job, but being a very independent man, he looked for an opportunity to start his own business. A long-time Dutch friend; Fritz Visbach, living in New Brunswick, encouraged him to join him in partnership and establish a company to grow both Christmas trees and trees for reforestation. In May, 1958, Jan and his wife and children immigrated to the Fredericton area, and Valley Tree Nursery in Island View became a reality. Jan worked in this business until he retired at age 66. During this time, he also taught Sunday School and was an active member of a very lively Men's Group at Kingsclear United Baptist Church. Jan and his wife chose to retire in Nova Scotia, and his retirement included many travels throughout Canada and abroad. He also pursued his interests in woodworking, pottery and painting. His other great loves were visiting with friends and family and spending quality time with his grandchildren and his dogs and cats. He was predeceased by his eldest sont, Gijs Carel, and is survived by his wife, Charlotte; sons, Frank (Sandra), Arend-Jan (Elaine), and Wouter; daughters, Elsebeth Olshefsky (Paul) and Anneloes; grandchildren, Shawn and Stephanie Pleunis and Talia and Kyria Olshefsky; great-grandchild, Brooke. The family is very grateful for the dedicated care given to Jan by both VON Services and the doctors and nurses of Annapolis Community Health Centre. Cremation has taken place under the care and direction of the Kaulbach Family Funeral Home, Annapolis Royal. A memorial service and interment will be held at a later date in the spring in Island View, New Brunswick. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jan may be made to VON Services, Nova Scotia or Annapolis Community Health Centre. Email condolences may be sent to: KAULBACHFH@ns.aliantzinc.ca