Sylvia Vanden Haak, 87, longtime Oak Harbor resident and florist, passed away on April 9, 2011, at Careage of Whidbey.
Mrs. Vanden Haak was born in The Netherlands on Sept. 20, 1923, to Matthijs and Neeltije (Van Elderen) De Rijk. Sylvia (whose given name at birth was Sijtje) was the eldest of five children. She attended school through the eighth- grade.
Sylvia met the love of her life, Tennis Vanden Haak, before World War II and they courted while their homeland was under Nazi oppression. Surviving the war, they were married on April 14, 1948. In September 1948, they immigrated to the United States through Philadelphia, and then directly to Oak Harbor, having been sponsored by John and Audrey Bultman.
Sylvia and Tennis purchased the Whidbey Florist and Greenhouse from the Bultmans in 1954, the same year they became U.S. citizens. In 1980, the Vanden Haak children took over the ownership of the business. It was moved to its present location, and the name was changed to the Greenhouse Florist and Nursery. Sylvia had been a member of the Oak Harbor Christian Reformed Church where she was a member of the Mission Circle, the choir and a hospitality host for many years. She had a life-long hobby of sewing and needlework. She made clothes for her children, and taught her daughters how to sew. There were always knitting and crocheting projects close-at-hand. Sylvia made quilts and baby layettes for the Red Cross and for mission projects overseas. In her later years, she also made many baby quilts for the Pregnancy Care Center, despite her dimming eyesight.
Sylvia is survived by her four children: Nellie Hutchinson (Jim) of Oak Harbor, Audrey Butler (Dave) of Coupeville, Henry Vanden Haak (Janine) of Oak Harbor and Mary Wiley (Mike) of Colfax; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; three sisters, Emma Vander Stelt (Wim) and Barbara Van Andel, both of Holland and Wilma Oosterwijk (Dirk) of Cottonwood, Ariz.; one brother, Paul De Rijk (Jenny) of Holland; also, numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Tennis Vanden Haak on March 2, 2011; also by a son Anthony, son-in-law Jerry, granddaughters Melynda and Michelle and by several siblings.
Visitation was held April 14 and 15 at Whidbey Memorial. A private Family Graveside Service at Fircrest Cemetery will be followed by a Memorial Service at Oak Harbor Christian Reformed Church, 1411 Wieldraayer Rd., Pastor Randy Beumer officiating. Memorials are suggested to the American Bible Society, P.O. Box 96812, Washington, D.C. 20090-6812. Family and friends are encouraged to share memories and leave condolences at www.whidbeymemorial.com.
