Beppie Boudens

Beppie Boudens-Alexander of Oshawa, Ontario, passed away in the early morning hours of October 10, 2024. Her three daughters were honored to attend her at the time of her passing, holding her hands as she slipped peacefully into her much-deserved rest.

Beppie was born on May 5, 1932 in Lohokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia (when Indonesia was known as the Dutch East Indies) to Hilda Lammers and Pieter Gerard Alexander, who were both from Central Java. She enjoyed a happy and active childhood along with her brothers Rob and Wim.

This idyllic period was soon interrupted by the Second World War and the Indonesian War of Independence. Beppie and her family relocated to the Netherlands in 1951, eventually settling in Rotterdam. There, she taught elementary school, and continued to be involved in scout leadership, which she started participating in when she lived in Indonesia.

She met her future husband, Pieter, through his sister Marlene, who was a friend and work colleague. Beppie and Pieter married on June 6, 1960. At the wedding, Beppie wore a veil of hand-made Belgian lace, which she famously biked to Belgium to buy, spending 100% of the money her mother had set aside for her entire wedding outfit. She really wanted that veil.

Beppie and Pieter honeymooned in the Scottish Highlands, and settled in De Zweth, outside Rotterdam, where they became parents to four children, Jacoba (Jackie), Hildegonda (Connie), Margaretha (Maggie), and Augustinus (Gus).

In 1968, the family moved to Canada, settling first in Edmonton, then moving to Calgary, Winnipeg, and finally Chambly, on the South Shore of Montreal, where they became part of a lively community of other Dutch expats.

After Pieter’s passing in 2010 Beppie moved to Oshawa to be closer to her daughters. Although she was already 81 years old when she landed in Oshawa, she quickly familiarized herself with the local community and its resources, becoming an active member of the Oshawa Seniors Centre. She also found a group of Indonesian-food-loving people who formed the core of her friendship network in her final years.

In addition to being a mother, Beppie was a gifted artist, excelling in basic media such as pencil and charcoal, and finding her true love in fibre arts, which includes techniques like weaving, embroidery, silk-screen printing, painting on fabric, and batik. As skilled at design as she was at the mechanics of fibre arts, she created many stunning original works, which she often displayed and offered for sale at craft shows. Beppie was also an outstanding singer and musician, performing as a soloist in her church choir, and learning to play ukulele and drums when she was in her 80s.

Beppie and Pieter became involved in mental health advocacy due to their son Gus’s experiences with severe mental illness. This was an activity that Beppie continued for the rest of her life. She could often be found on the phone counselling a family member of a person with mental illness, helping them to navigate the fraught terrain of living with an often-intractable condition and providing support in any way she could. In 2018, she was recognized by the Government of Canada for her work with AMI- Quebec’s South Shore chapter.

Keeping her mind active was important to Beppie throughout her life. She was also actively involved in parent associations for the schools her children attended. Her children were often surprised to hear their teachers knew her personally and were impressed by her level of interest and her involvement in what was going on in the administration of their schools. Beppie was also an active member of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Netherlandic Studies (CAANS) in both Montreal and Toronto, attending and delivering talks and social events. She had a particular interest in highlighting the Indo influence in Dutch literature.

Beppie was predeceased by her husband Pieter, her son Gus, and her brother, Rob. She is survived by her daughters, Jackie, Connie, and Maggie, their partners Allan Dunsmuir, David Walker, and Scott Parker, and her brother Wim Alexander and his partner Els Valstar, along with their children, Oki and Cara. Beppie also leaves behind her sisters- and brothers-in-law, Marlene, Marianne, Roos, Els, Jan Pieter, and Juuk, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Beppie’s life will be celebrated on Saturday, October 26 at 10:30am at the Oshawa Funeral Home, 847 King St W. in Oshawa. Please wear brightly coloured clothing to this event.

Service will be livestreamed and can be viewed at the following link: https://ipickart.com/stream/BeppieBoudens/

Flowers are welcomed, as are donations to these charities:

• Le Havre/ Our Harbour, a supportive-housing program for people with mental illness. (https://ourharbour.org/)

• Ami-Quebec, an organization that provides support for families of people living with mental illness. (https://amiquebec.org/)

• Women’s Health Collective Canada, a joint project of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation, the BC Women’s Health Foundation, and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation. This organization’s goal is to address the historic inequity in women’s health care, which continues to lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment of women’s unique health conditions. (https://whcc.ca/)