Marria Van Driel

Marria leaves behind sons Eric (Toni Scholefield), Bob (Jane Bowden) and Fred (Lesley Battler) as well as grandchildren Bill, Erica (Sami Rix), Michael (Anna Nordlander) and April (Martinus McEachern) as well as great grandchildren Zoe and Freya. She was predeceased by her sisters Narda and Enna and brother John.

Marria was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands on September 26 1922. She moved to Barcelona as an infant and lived there (with a few years in the Netherlands during the Spanish civil war) until she arrived in New York in 1941. Despite a lack of English, she attended Barnard College of Columbia University where she earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Physics. This was followed by some post-graduate work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbour, Michigan.

She subsequently returned to the Netherlands where she married Willem van Driel (deceased) and gave birth to her first son Eric. She immigrated to Toronto in 1952 where sons Robert and Fred were born. Shortly thereafter came a move to Dorval and later Beaconsfield. While raising three sons kept her busy she still found time to spend several years as a Girl Guide leader, taking them on camp and ski weekends.

In her fifties she returned to university earning her Education Degree at McGill.

Travel was one of her passions and most years into her seventies she enjoyed road trips to all corners of North America with her station wagon, camping gear and spirit of adventure. She was proud of having explored every province and territory and 49 of 50 states, (missing only Florida).

Decreased mobility led to her moving to the Sunrise home in Beaconsfield at the age of 89. In the almost 12 years she lived at Sunrise she received outstanding care and support from a wonderfully compassionate and caring staff for which the family is very grateful.

She lived a long full life and will be missed by all.

Another ten days and she would have been 101!

Marria was buried during a small private ceremony on 21 September 2023. The next day, her third great grandchild, Octavius, was born.