Maria Gerarda de Groot

Maria Gerarda de Groot was born on the 20th of December 1948 in Amstelveen, North Holland, Netherlands. As a young child she immigrated to Canada with her family and was raised in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. After graduating high school Maria moved to Vancouver to pursue her dreams and begin her working life. After brief jobs with BC Tel and a toy packaging company, she was hired by the Canada Revenue Agency where she worked until she retired in 2006. In July 1977 she met Richard (Rick) Belanger and eventually started a family with him. They had 5 children together and as a mother she found her true calling. She was always putting the welfare of her kids ahead of her own and impressing her values on to her children.

Maria had a passion for traveling to see new places and different things. With her partner and children in tow, they would go for 4-6 week road trips in the summers and cross the country to various destinations including Alaska, Disneyland, Vegas, Yellowstone, and Quebec City.

She also liked to volunteer and for 10 years was a Brownie and Girl Guide leader where she was a positive influence on many young girls.

In 2013 Maria was faced with the onset of a degenerative neurological disorder that slowly took away her mobility and motor skills. With her determined nature she battled her condition, giving it her all until the end. Maria passed away peacefully on February 7th, 2019, surrounded by family.

She was predeceased by her father Laurentius, mother Anna and sister Cynthia. She is survived by her spouse Richard; daughter Cassandra (George) and their daughter Zoe; daughter Elena (Jay) and their daughter Savannah; daughter Sara (Jayson) and their son Jeremy; sons Curtis and Marcus. She is also survived by her brothers Gerald (Betty), Kees, and Louis and by sisters Elma and Lillian (Don). We are all saddened by the loss of someone who brought so much love and happiness into our lives, but the grief is held at bay by the knowledge that we have a piece of her in our hearts.

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