Johan Wilhelm Kokkelink

It is with great sadness, that his family announces the passing of Johan W. Kokkelink (Joe), on June 10, 2022. He passed peacefully at home in the arms of his wife, Kathy Kokkelink, and in the loving presence of his children, Kristen Irvine (Andy), Denise Harrington (Dave), and Martin Kokkelink (Karen).

Joe was born in The Hague, Holland, on February 13, 1942, and after serving in Indonesia in the Royal Dutch Marines, he immigrated to Canada in 1965. He worked as a machinist and trained as a pilot in his spare time, eventually obtaining his Commercial Pilot’s Licence.

Joe was a jack-of-all-trades. He could construct or fix anything and was always ready to help others, bringing his expertise to many projects over the years. He built a wooden sailboat, and later enjoyed working on a steel hull yacht, which was almost finished when unfortunately he had to give it up due to ill health.

Joe was a member of the Waterloo Regional Police Male Chorus for about 35 years and proudly served as their Equipment Manager for many of those years.

Joe was a kind and gentle person, and his family was everything to him. Along with his wife and children, he will be missed by his grandsons Griffin and Merik Harrington and Trent, Tyler and Edwin Kokkelink. He will also be mourned by family and friends in Holland.

Joe suffered ill health with a number of ailments over the years, and we wish to express our gratitude to our family doctor, Dr. D. Humphrey, for her outstanding and compassionate care.

According to Joe’s wishes there will be no funeral, and the family will gather privately to celebrate his life.