Denhertog, Johanna “Joan” – It is with great sadness that the family of Johanna “Joan” Denhertog, beloved mother, sister, Oma, aunt, and friend, announce her passing.
Born in Leiden, the Netherlands, as Johanna Bakker, she was one of ten children of Antoon and Helena Bakker. She survived the hungry years of the war and experienced the liberation of the Netherlands by the Canadian troops. There she married Adrianus Cornelis den Hertog on September 20, 1950. They, with their daughter Hendrika and Johanna’s sister, Helena Bakker, boarded the Grote Beer in Rotterdam and immigrated to Canada in 1956, settling in Nova Scotia. After living in Halifax, the Valley, Martin’s Point and Western Shore, they built a house in Nine Mile River, where she lived until February of 2020. Johanna worked at Mount Saint Vincent University then Hydrostone Cleaners for many years. After retiring, she owned and operated “Joan’s Flowers”, growing and selling flowers at the Farmers market at Keiths Brewery. She and Adrian were board members of the market, active until his health failed in the 1990s.
When living alone became difficult, she moved to the Berkeley in Bedford, then in 2022 she moved to the Admiral in Dartmouth. She enjoyed the activities and friends she met at these two places until she left us peacefully on April 19, 2023.
Left to miss her are her children, Hendrika (Eric) Brown, Patricia (Ed) Perkins, and William (Elaine Francis) Denhertog; grandchildren, Michael (Heather) Brown, David Perkins, Alison Perkins and Ben Perkins; great-grandchildren, MacKenzie Brown, Kaydance Perkins and Landen Perkins; her dear sister, Leny; and nieces, Joanne Steadman, Charlene Graves and Maria Kennie; and sisters, Maria, Theresa; and nieces and nephews in in the Netherlands and many, many friends.
She was predeceased by her husband, Adrian; granddaughter, Joanna Perkins; son-in-law, Ed Perkins; brother-in-law, Charles Dill; nephews, Peter Dill, Nick Graves; and six of her siblings in the Netherlands.
At her request, there will be no public service. Her cremated remains will be interred at a private family burial beside her husband and granddaughter.
While Johanna loved flowers, she loved children more and the loving care she got at the Admiral was exceptional. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the causes she believed in:
· Big Brothers Big Sisters Halifax
o https://halifax.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/donate
· IWK Foundation
o https://iwkfoundation.prg/donate
· Admiral Long Term Care Music Program - by cheque referencing “Recreation (Johanna)”
The Admiral, 6 Admiral St., Dartmouth NS B2X 1W4
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