Joe was born on May 29th, 1929 in Tilburg, Netherlands. He passed away in Vancouver on December 30th, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer. Joe came to Canada in 1956 and after many years of working as a plumber in Vancouver, he retired to Watch Lake where he enjoyed the country life for close to 20 years, until moving back to Vancouver in Sept., 2009. Joe is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Clasina (deBont); his children Nellie, Shirley, Jack and John. He also leaves eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Joe is predeceased by his youngest son Andrew. A memorial service was held on Tuesday, January 5th at Hamilton Harron Funeral Home in Vancouver.