Anne Mertens

Mertens: Anne Elizabeth.

Anne passed away at Good Samaritan Retirement Lodge in Alliston, Ontario from cancer. Anne was born in Indonesia July 24, 1942 and died on March 9, 2025.

Below is a tribute to Anne written by her brother:
“We did not have much time with my sister lately. But the little time my daughter and I had before she left us was a very warm and pleasant surprise. We could see firsthand that she lived in a very supportive and cozy environment where she was loved and respected and had chats with many nurses and neighbours that wished her well on a daily basis. Before experiencing this we (my wife Djoke and I) spoke regularly by phone, quite often for half an hour or more, sometimes close to an hour, especially after Jan passed away in October 2023, and she always said that she was doing well and really enjoyed living in the Good Samaritan. For other matters she said that her friends Deanna and Jeffrey really looked after all the things she couldn’t do anymore since her accident in December 2022 and the stream of sad events that followed and ended by her residency in the Good Samaritan home.

Anne was born in Indonesia (3rd generation) under Japanese rule which had started in March 1942 after the capitulation of the Dutch army and armed forces of the US. She was born in Trètès, some 60 km under Surabaya, where, we were told, the family had a house in the mountains to escape the heat of Surabaya (the city) in summer. Isn’t it remarkable that her husband also spent time there as a child? Our parents, aunts and uncles never spoke about the period they were in the Japanese war camps or moving through Indonesia trying to avoid contact with the Japanese occupation forces, much like many people of that era kept that period as private as possible. We, one way or another, never openly asked the right questions and when we did the answers were usually vague and short. It is only because of all the stories on the internet that we are faintly aware of all what happened. She must have met my Dad for the first time when she was a good 3 years old, after he returned from the Japanese prison camp. After the war until 1949 there was a long period of unrest in Indonesia which wanted it’s promised independence. I assume that things were more or less back to normal by the end of 1949, when I was born. By 1956 the family had to flee Indonesia again because of the political situation, and we lived a year in Holland while Dad was at Curacao company headquarters preparing for a position on Santa Domingo. Anne then was 14 years old and must have been much more aware of what was happening than I and my younger brother were. Fortunately for us dad was asked to stay in Curacao in the Caribbean (a Dutch colony) and in 1957 we all moved there. Anne finished her high school there with flying colours, added another year to get a teacher’s license and then moved to the Netherlands because she wanted to become a nurse. This she did and after completing that study she came back to Curacao live with us for a year and to work in the local hospital. Curacao was too small for Anne and she went back to the Netherlands where she met Jan (John) who eventually became her husband for 53 years. They moved to Canada the same year they got married, late ’69, in the times of the flower power, Woodstock, Vietnam, love and adventure, when everything was possible.”

Cremation has taken place.  Arrangements entrusted to Rod Abrams Funeral Home, Tottenham. Condolences and memories may be left for family and friends at www.RodAbramsFuneralHome.com.