Berendina Margaretha Maria Scholten
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of
Berendina Margaretha Maria Scholten on July 7th, 2016.
Born on October 13, 1935 to Gerard Johan Scholten and Alena Christina Kosse in the Wieringermeer, Holland, Diny is survived by her sisters Truus (Cor) and Ria, her son Anselmo (Cally) and her grandson Levon.
Diny spent her formative years helping on the family farm, but this life was soon to be unsettled by the onset of WWII. At the end of the war, the dikes in the Wieringermeer were breached and the family farm destroyed in the resulting flood. This forced the family to be re-settled while the farm was being rebuilt.
Despite these challenging events, Diny always saw the beauty in life. She developed her unique visual aesthetic and fostered her dreams of becoming an artist. When Diny came of age, she moved to the big city of Amsterdam to study art at the Fashion Design Academy. Here Diny’s lifelong passion for art began to take formal shape.
In 1962, she gave birth to her son, Anselmo Antonius. Diny and Anselmo moved to Edmonton, Alberta, in 1975 to start a new adventure. Her sister Truus and her family provided a safe haven until Diny found her footing in her adopted country.
In 1990, she married Gert (Gerry) Neumann who shared her passion for art and travel. After Gerry’s passing, Diny spent time back in Holland before moving to the West Coast of Canada.
Diny had a near inexhaustible zest for life and unswerving commitment to her friends and family. She continued to explore new frontiers and settled as a resident artist in Qualicum Beach, taking her art from fashion design to painting, pottery, and print making. She continued to travel, often with her sister Ria, with whom she maintained an ever strengthening bond across the miles and throughout the years. Diny spent her final year and final days surrounded by the love of her
grandson, Levon John Ruud.
An art show in memory and celebration of Diny’s life will be held at the
Qualicum Beach Inn on Sunday July 24, from 2:30-6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Oceanside Hospice Society in Parksville.