Hendrik Jan "Henry" Boer
April 15, 1931 - July 17, 2023
It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Henry Boer, of Stroud, on July 17, 2023 at the age of
92 years.
He will be forever missed and lovingly remembered by his wife, Kay. He and Kay celebrated 20 years of
marriage this year, enjoying family time and travel together. Henry was predeceased by his first wife of
45 years, Gerbrigje “Gerry” (van der Meulen) in 1999.
He will be deeply missed and forever cherished by his three daughters, Edna (John) Juffermans, Margie
(Vince) Tersigni and Wilma (Mark) Miyasaki. Fondly remembered by Kay’s children: Doug (Heather)
Wice, Keith (Laurie) Wice, Lynda (Peter) Hughson, and Janet (Shawn) Moore. Henry was an extremely
proud Opa to 16 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Loving brother of Annie (deceased) (Jan - deceased) Nijlant and Mina (Henk) de Boer, and loving
brother-in-law to Jan (deceased) (Atty) van der Meulen and Willy (deceased) (Rinze - deceased) van der
Kuur.. Fondly remembered by nieces and nephews and all their families, both in the Netherlands and
Canada.
Born April 15, 1931 in the Netherlands to Willem and Grietje Boer, Henry immigrated to Canada in 1950
at the age of 19 to work on farms in Innisfil Township. He worked at a construction company to help pave
the new Highway 400 from Innisfil to Crown Hill. He worked as a truck driver for Hudson Transport, and
then attended courses at Ontario Agricultural College, (now University of Guelph) to work as a cattle
breeder in 1954. His work with the Ontario Cattle Breeders’ Association took him all over Simcoe County.
He and Gerry were married in 1954, and they eventually bought a dairy and swine farm on Concession
11 in 1962, farming there for 10 years. That property was sold and developed into the community of
Sandy Cove Acres - the original barn still stands. Henry and Gerry then bought the property on Highway
11, to begin farming and planting the orchard known as Carpe Diem Apple Orchard. He was a successful
orchardist, with his son-in-law John Juffermans, until the farm was sold in 2019 after 40 years of farming.
After the farm sale, Henry settled into retirement at the age 88, to enjoy reading and woodworking.
Always an avid gardener, he always has a plant project on the go, starting seeds or taking cuttings.
Henry served on the Board of the Innisfil Farmers’ Credit Union for many years. He was a faithful, lifelong
member of St. James United Church in Stroud and served on the Finance committee for years.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate Henry’s life, at Innisfil Funeral Home, 7910 Yonge St, Innisfil,
L9S 1L5, on Monday, July, 24, 2023: visitation at 1 p.m., with the service to immediately follow at 2 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made in the name of Henry Boer, to St. James United Church, (2230 Victoria
St., Innisfil, L9S 1K5, [email protected]) or the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (P.O. Box 767,
Winnipeg, MB R3C 2L4 or [email protected]), and would be most appreciated.
In lieu of purchased flowers and to celebrate Henry’s love of gardening, please consider bringing a jar of
your cut garden flowers to Henry’s funeral.
