Obituary of Marinus 'Rien' Hage

Hage: Marinus (Rien) Hage passed away peacefully at Rideau Park surrounded by his family on May 12, 2016. He was born in Nieuwerkerk, The Netherlands on February 23, 1926. He attended school until the age of 14, and began working on a neighbour's farm plowing the fields with horses. During the war, when Holland was invaded by Germany, the province he was living in was flooded and the family was forced to evacuate to another province and it was here that he met the love of his life, Tetje (Tet) Postma. They were married in 1952 and two weeks later, they immigrated to Canada to begin a new, exciting chapter of their lives. After arriving at Pier 21 I Halifax, N.S., they boarded a train for Portage la Prairie, Manitoba where Dad worked on a mixed farm for four years. During that time, they had three children, all under the age of two. In 1957 they moved to Douglas, Manitoba where they had one more child. Dad was employed with Ross Farms for more than 25 years. Ross Mitchell was more than just his employer, they remained friends right until his passing and the family really appreciates all of his visits and taking Dad for drives as he so enjoyed that. Dad also worked as a Custodian at Elton Collegiate in Forrest, Manitoba with Mom by his side for 7 years before retiring and in the early 1980's they moved to Brandon, Manitoba. He took great pride in his garden every summer. Mom and Dad did a lot of travelling. They returned to Holland 16 times, they travelled to New Zealand 3 times, trips to B.C. and Ontario to visit family as well as camping in Killarney, Manitoba in the summer. In 2009 they made a trip back to Pier 21 in Halifax and it was wonderful to hear them reminiscing about what the initial trip was like, about how excited and nervous they were. Rien is survived by his wife, Tet. Four children: Tina (Dale), Arthur (Camy), Faye (Art), and Dick (Cathy). Seven grandchildren: Regan, Kerry, Robert, Mila, Stacey, Jeff, and Chandra. Five great grandchildren: Kristina, Broc, Cruz, Katelyn, and Owen. He is predeceased by his father, mother, brother and sister. A Funeral Service will be held at Brockie Donovan Chapel, 332-8th Street, on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 11:00 a.m., with Arlene Robertson officiating, followed by a reception and private family interment at Madford Cemetery in Douglas, Manitoba. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, 4B-457-9th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 4A9. The family wishes to acknowledge the amazing staff at Rideau Park and Dr. Egan. They had so much compassion for the family in our time of need. You went above and beyond and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.