Hilda Maria Van Orden

women's National Field Hockey team and then in 1946 she won the European rowing championship in

Paris. While rowing she met and later married Meindert (Maynard) Van Orden in 1948, had two

children Willem and Ricarda while living on a houseboat in Zaandam and then, altogether, they crossed

the ocean to Canada in 1951. While living in a tarpaper shack in Mud River B.C., two more children,

Joan and Heather were born and then house and household were literally dragged by truck into Prince

George where Marjorie was born and where all the children grew up.

The family came to Quadra in 1969 and soon after Hilda was busy giving swimming lessons to locals

and working for the Campbell River Library. She was on the first Bookmobile that came to Quadra

with stops at the Bay, the Cove and the Cape. Later, for several years she was the librarian at Quadra

Elementary School. Together with Maynard and others she helped organize musical and other cultural

events on Quadra and was involved with the theatre and the film club. Also together with other

enthusiastic islanders, Hilda was part of the pioneering of the hiking trails on Quadra Island. Maynard

left the world in 1995. Hilda carried on with quiet vigor organizing concerts for the hall, scouting out

new trail routes and negotiating with the timber companies. She loved nature; skiing, hiking, kayaking

and exploring with her old red Volvo.

Hilda was also very busy being the loving matriarch of her family, soothing her children's dilemmas

and having adventures with her grandchildren.

Many thanks to the wonderful caregivers she had in the last years of her life, both on Quadra and

Evergreen care home in Campbell River.

We will have a celebration of her life at the Quadra Community Centre on March 28 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers Hilda suggested donations to Doctors Without Borders or a charity of your choice