It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Ingrid Steiner, peacefully surrounded by family on July 21, 2024, at the age of 92. Ingrid was born on February 6, 1932 in Wieringen, the Netherlands, to Cornelis and Jetske (Nee Terpstra) Haremaker.
Survived by her former husband, Dieter Steiner, her brother Kees Haremaker, and her sister-in-law Marijke Haremaker, and her three sons and their wives, Thomas and Clare, Beat and Stephanie, Stefan and Anne Marie, grandchildren Saskia and Luca, Oskar and Hugo, Erik and Emily. Predeceased by her sister Trees van Praag and brother Jaap Haremaker.
Ingrid loved adventure, starting with hitchhiking with a friend through Italy, France and Switzerland as a teenager, then moving to Switzerland for graduate studies in Geography, where she met her husband Dieter. She made a home in Zurich, Chicago, Waterloo and Zurich again as the family grew. She was always interested in travelling and meeting people from around the world.
Finding her way back to Canada in 1978 she earned a Masters degree in Sociology at the University of Waterloo. With her fluency in Dutch, English, German and Swiss German as well as her geography background, she landed a job as a tour guide taking busloads of mostly European tourists across the country. More friendships came that lasted long after she stopped that work.
The yearn to travel continued and she made yearly drives to British Columbia from Waterloo and back, sometimes with friends or family and sometimes alone, so she could spend time with Thomas and Beat and their families and visit with all her friends along the way.
She lived through frugal years, and her natural money sense was put to good use as an income tax preparer first with H&R Block and then with her own business, Midtown Tax. Many loyal customers stayed with her for years, as she was generous with good financial advice that also extended to her family and especially grandchildren.
Another side of Ingrid was her talent as a knitter and embroiderer. Her work, as well as her collection of antique cross stitches, was installed at the Schneider Haus National Historic Site in Kitchener during her year as Folk Artist in Residence in 2000.
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of Seton Villa in Burnaby and acknowledge the loving care she received in the Palliative Care Unit of Burnaby General Hospital.
A cremation was held in Vancouver. A celebration of life will be held in Waterloo on August 23.
If desired, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee or a charity of your choice.
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