Adrianna Jeanne Eyking
Born In: Alpen en Riel
Born: February 19th, 1931
Passed in: Millville, Nova Scotia, Canada
Passed on: July 8th, 2017
On July 8, 2017, Jeanne Eyking passed away peacefully at her home in Millville with her husband, John and their children by her side.
Jeanne was born on February 19, 1931 in Alpen en Riel, The Netherlands, the daughter of the late Adrian and Elisabeth (Pelckmans) Mertens. At the young age of 20, she made the brave decision to immigrate to Canada to join her two brothers, Ad and Jan. She committed to building a new life in her adopted home. Living in the Sydney area made it possible for Jeanne to continue to be in touch with other Dutch immigrants. Through them she met the love of her life, John, an ambitious young man from North Holland. They married and together built a business and a family of ten.
Jeanne by example showed the importance of living the simple life – knowing what was important and taking care of one another. Farm life and raising ten children left no room for embellishment. In her own quiet way she tended to her family and sold eggs and produce at the farm. She indeed led from behind. All the while, Jeanne’s soup pot was never empty; there was always room for one more at the kitchen table.
As the children and the business grew Jeanne found time to travel the world, but one simple pleasure John and Jeanne shared was to explore the back roads of Boularderie Island and the St. Ann’s Bay area. It became a Sunday afternoon ritual to load the children, a banana box of food and hit the road to find some spot where the kids could swim – and sand was not mandatory. In later years a short drive was followed by time at their cabin at Grove’s Point where their son, Peter, would swim and Jeanne and John rowed or drifted around in their dinghy. If John provided the vision for these family outings, it was Jeanne who made it a joyful experience by her attention to detail.
As the business prospered Jeanne and John made sure they shared its success by contributing to the Cape Breton community. On the local level the farm-sponsored Millville Egg Fest ran for many years. Jeanne’s life work was recognized in 1998 when the University College of Cape Breton awarded her a Doctor of Laws degree.
In keeping with her approach to life Jeanne tended to “her boys” (John and Peter) and her farm store to the end.
Jeanne is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, John Eyking; her 10 children, Jeannie (Fred), John (Janet), Elisabeth, Paul (Karen), Mark (Pam), Patrick (Angela), Francis (Joan), Chris (Janet), Theodore (Geralyn) and her special son, Peter; her 32 grandchildren, John (Amanda), Steven (Twila), Chris (Cindy), Kristen (Rob), Jamison (Elizabeth), Paul (Tanya), Aurora (Steven), Mieka (Christian), Josh (Natalie), Vanessa (Pedro), Samuel, Lisette (Rory), Amy (Ryan), Adrianna, Bethany (Wade), Elsie, Jessica (Niki), Erika (Amber), Emily, Nico (Carissa), Britanny (Morgan), Jonah, Taylor (Nathan), Katrina, Morgan, Darrion, Aaron, Grace, Ryan, Marcus, Maria and Oscar, and her 18 great grandchildren, Blake, Jaxon, Bryson, Daniel, Abbigale, Hannah, Marika, Danika, Calysta, Lucienne, Davie, Elizabeth, Ryker, Willa, Cullen, Dalton, Cale and Emmett. In the Netherlands she is survived by her sister, Jopie; her brothers, Toon, Huub, Frans and Be.
She was predeceased by parents, Adrian and Elisabeth Mertens; her sister, Riet, and her six brothers, Jan, Mart, Ad, Piet, Huub and Wim.
There will be no visitation. A Funeral Mass will take place on Thursday, July 13 at 10:30 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church, Bras d’Or, with Fr. Peter McLeod officiating. The family will receive visitors at a reception to be held at the Millville Community Hall immediately following the funeral.
Memorial donations may be made to Cape Breton Cancer Centre, Rotary Foundation or charity of one’s choice.
Words of comfort may be forwarded to the family at www.jmjobesfuneralhome.com.
