George (Gerardus) Van Rijn
October 6, 1929 ~ December 24, 2016
It is with very heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dear Father, George. We were blessed to have had the past 6 months to care for him during his battle with cancer. Dad had a strong faith and we had many conversations about how he looked forward to being reunited with his beloved wife Tina and "what a glorious day it would be when my Jesus I shall see" (he sang this song constantly). Dad was a caring and loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. George was born in Uithoorn, Netherlands and when he was 23, he immigrated to Canada with his family. After settling in Alberta, he met and fell in love with our Mom. Four children were born within five years and after many "mis"adventures the family moved to a farm in Cloverdale, BC. Dad's love of growing flowers was realized when Chestnut Greenhouses was started in 1966. George and Tina had a very successful career and were well known for the excellent products they grew. They retired 25 years ago to Abbotsford where their property was again full of beautiful flowers. Dad was predeceased by his wife Tina, his parents, 7 siblings and his great granddaughter, Juliet. He is survived by 10 siblings, as well as his four children: Brenda (Erv) Janzen, Dave (Val), Wayne (Joy), and Beverly (Robin) Burnette; eight grandchildren: Chris (Nolene), Justine, Ryan, Jordan, Kelsey, Allison, Faith and Ella and his great grandchildren Ollie, Eva & Audrey. We will celebrate George's life on Thursday, January 26 at Grace Church at 2:30 pm, 2087 McMillian Road, Abbotsford. A second memorial will be held on January 28 at Gem of the West Museum at 2:00 pm, 1306 20 St., Coaldale, Alberta. In lieu of flowers donations to the Holmberg House (Abbotsford Hospice) would be greatly appreciated. Dad received excellent care there in the last three weeks of his life.