Grandpa, I would call him the perfect man.  I can honestly say that I have never met another guy who was so loving and devoted to his wife.  From my first memory to my last I can always see him holding grandma’s hand, bracing her back or giving her a kiss just in a normal everyday sitiation.  This always gave me hope for my future to find a man that could love me as much as he loved her. 

Some of my earliest memories of grandpa were of him in his work shop, whenever we would come to visit grandma would have to call down to him and we would go running to see what new and interesting thing he was working on that day.  He was so skilled in woodworking it was amazing.  The beauitiful tables, sowing boxes, clocks and pins that he made, we all felt so special when they were for us.  I think that every member of the family will cherish those well made works of art!

As grandpa got older he may have gotten quieter but his wisdom & positive thinking never changed.  He was always right there with a word or a quick one liner to get you back on track.  I remember when I was quite young sitting down eating dinner next to grandpa and I went to push some food onto my fork with my finger and I got a quick smack on the hand, there was nothing else that needed to be said I new that I needed to improve my manners. 

He was never one to yell, all ne needed was a simple gesture or a few words and you knew what he wanted you to do.  He was also a great listener and would share his great wisdom as well if you were willing to sit and listen.  Grandpa was an amazing singer and music was very close to his heart.  He could play the violing so gracefully and often would accompany grandma on the keyboard.  I’m glad to see that some musical talent has carried on in the family.

In the last few years grandpa has not been a man of many words although I know he was still very “Happy” and “Whoot” or “Hail Whoot” as long as mother was around because he always told us so.  He still gave great hugs and sometimes a pat on the bottom too.  All in all grandpa was an amazing person who was full of so much love, patients, forgiveness and words of encouragement like (parden my dutch) “kanet is dout” and I hope that we can all take some of that with us to carry on his memory.

As hard as it is to loose him I think that we should all have a few Hip Hip Horrays for his wonderful life and remember it is not goodbye it os only until the next time.

 Hip Hip Horray!

 Hip Hip Horray!

 Hip Hip Horray!

With all my love…  Tina

A gentle man, my dear Dad, Peter Verkley, quietly passed away this moring Monday October 15 2007. Seeing his used up old body lying in the bed one can’t help see that one’s spirit makes the body shine. Dad’s spirit was always happy. Life sometimes was tough but he would stop face it and accept what was given and move on. If you can’t change it then you must accept it was his credo in life. It is your attitude that matters. As his son he never pushed me to do anything. He let me make my choices and supported me but never dictated his opinions on what I was doing. I think one of the most important lessons was learned early in my life, if you take on a task it was your responsiblity. My Dad never came to check if I did complete it nore did he finish the job. He never was one for big congratulations on a job well done, rather he just quietly gave you the feeling he was proud of you.

My fonest memories of both of my parents was Sunday’s at my parents home. We never played games, watched TV but we discussed everything. I can’t remember a subject that we didn’t cover. The best part was everyone was always aloud their opinion.

Dad’s legacy was his spirit. He loved my Mom and his family. His spirit showed us that angry need not be part of your life, I can’t remember him ever being angry for longer then a few moments. Another treasured memory he left us with was his creative wood working art.

In the last few years the intellectual Dad had left me, I mourned the loss of a spirited converstation. I was forced to accept he couldn’t on a physical level acknowledge me as his son. I remember being at the home alone with him, nothing to talk about for there was no memory to share, just quitely sitting beside him holding his hand. He may not have known me in the physical but something was shared in the spiritual. My last visit with him was with Patti-jo at the home and he was very active. We talked small talk and we watched him eat his supper like he was hungry. He cleaned the plate. I remember saying to Patti-Jo that this was the best visit I had with him in a long time. I think I saw him differently and his spirit knew to give me a good memory of him.

I could go on with memories of my Dad but really he was only part of the whole that being Mom and Dad. Their lives were one. As my life moves on I can say that I was blessed to be born to these fine parents. Their book is now finished and I must now write my own.

They left me with a very rich legacy.

Thank you Mom and Dad for being my parents. I love you both.

You son

John

Coop’s Children in Holland

While we carry on the tradition of Grandma Verkley’s summer picnic, let’s celebrate a few things:
First of all, there are a few milestone birthday’s: This Sunday come to Paul’s house prepared to toast to Phil, Vincent and Wilfred’s 50th.

Also, there will be a wedding shower for the eldest Verkley grandchild.  That’s right, Lisa and Jeff are getting married in December but they will be leaving for Nova Scotia at the end of August.  They are registered at Sears should you wish to buy them a gift.  Alternatively gift cards are very easy to move.  🙂
So, let’s get ready to celebrate in traditional Verkley style.  Bring your lawn chairs and a contribution to the potluck meal.

It should be a great afternoon.  I can’t wait to see everyone!

Be sure to pass this information along to anyone that might not otherwise have perused this site before this weekend.

Jeff and I are back from our house hunting trip in Nova Scotia. We found a beautiful home! It’s 15 minutes south of Antigonish in the Lochaber area. It’s a Cape Cod style, 3.6 acre, 4 bedroom house on the side of a hill. Lochaber Lake is right across the road giving us an INCREDIBLE view. We move out in a month and are really excited about it – and for getting our stuff out of storage!

Here it is:

Big News!

Jeff and Lisa are engaged!!  We’re also moving to Nova Scotia!  Jeff has won a huge job competition for a detachment supervisor position in eastern Nova Scotia (in the village of Sherbrooke – about a 2.5 hour drive north of Halifax). At best guess, we’ll be moving east later this summer.  We’ll know more details in the next couple of weeks as the paperwork goes through.  Wedding details are still in the preliminary planning stages.

Our beautiful daughter, Hadley Marie Verkley, was born on Tuesday March 20, 2007 at 2:37pm.  Weighing in at 8lbs and a tall 21 inches.  Thank you to everyone who has send warm wishes.  We can’t wait for everyone to meet her!  Please feel free to check out http://ajax.verkley.com/hadley for a few photos.

News has come from Holland that Grandpa Verkley (Peter)’s cousin Piet van Velzen has died at the age of 92.

That now makes Grandpa the oldest of the Verkley family.

Three cheers for Grandpa!