HARRY BLANKVOORT

Our beloved Harry, age 75, left us unexpectedly on January 15th, 2025: too early for our liking. He was born in The Netherlands on May 12, 1949, the 12th of 15 children, and grew up on the family dairy farm in Zalk. He eventually left the farm to attend college for a degree in Social Work and embraced the social revolution of the times. It was there that he met Antoinette Wieberdink.

In 1976, with a sense of adventure, a wish to return to farming, and $400 in his pocket, Harry and Antoinette departed for Canada. His commitment to hard work and willingness to take a well-calculated risk, led him to purchase his own New Zalk dairy farm north of MacGregor in 1977. Always open to exciting opportunities, other livestock were added over the years, sheep and ostriches to name a few. New Zalk Farm was an ode to his birthplace, and grew to be an award-winning operation, gaining recognition from industry peers for the quality of the herd and bloodline. After 25 years in the dairy industry, a decision was made to switch to beef farming. Up until the final sale of the farm, he built and raised a prize herd of pedigree Black Angus cattle.

Frequent visitors from the Netherlands were given the opportunity to explore his new chosen country in his favourite VW camper bus. His farm was open to anyone with curiosity and became the site of valuable early lessons. He offered children of family friends a simple business opportunity: 1.) Buy an ewe. 2.) Visit the farm regularly to help with chores and budget for the cost of her feed. 3.) Hopefully make a small profit by selling her wool and lambs. It was curious though, how the occasional poorly-performing ewe was magically replaced with a more lucrative one.

Harry’s values of kindness and accountability were paramount in raising his daughters, Odette and Nadine. He wouldn’t hesitate to remind the girls about the “$400 in my pocket” story, while simultaneously transferring money to help them with their latest endeavour. He encouraged them to pursue education, travel the world, and form their own opinions. Together with Antoinette, he taught them it was important to contribute to society, while respecting others and the land. He was very proud of his girls, and his unconditional love and support was unwavering.

Harry and Antoinette sold the farm in 2019 and found a new home along the Red River in Winnipeg. Harry found contentment in his riverside gazebo, sipping a glass of red, or helping with maintenance of the neighbourhood rink. His agricultural passions continued to be exercised through vigorous involvement in the community garden. Harry’s bountiful harvest kept neighbours and friends with green beans and zucchinis for weeks. His success was likely due to a secret ingredient: the MacGregor topsoil he had painstakingly hauled into the city when growth rates from the Red River gumbo weren’t to his liking.

In terms of interests, Harry embraced the music of the 60’s and 70’s. His extensive record collection continues to be a crowd favourite to this day. Harry was also an enthusiastic walker and cyclist, and his retirement allowed him to be an avid armchair sports fan of Dutch National soccer, Tour de France, speed skating, and the Jets.

For Harry, family time, fishing, and relaxation were the central pillars of cabin life at the Lake of the Prairies. The lake provided a welcome reprieve from city living. He would often travel there solo with a box of minnows and a stack of mystery novels. It also became the site for cherished new adventures with his little granddaughter Indah, born in 2020. Known affectionately to her as “Opa Canada”, Harry was silly, patient and mischievous: he was her favourite companion.

Harry chose to live his dream in Manitoba, and this meant that life was not always easy, but he worked to make it easier for the people around him. He met every challenge with pragmatism and a healthy dose of Dutch stubbornness. A key piece to his success was his partnership with Antoinette. She chose to embark on the adventure of emigration, became a farmer working beside him, and supported his various ventures with enthusiasm. He liked her capacity to pursue interests and passions of her own and cheered her on each and every time.

Harry was vividly aware of society’s injustices, and increasingly concerned about the growth of the extreme right. He was a voracious consumer of news, and saw it as an obligation to be informed about global events. In his planting of copious apple trees, we see an example of his optimism and hope for the future. To know Harry, was to recognize the wry sense of humour which came through in that small smile and the twinkle in his eye.

Harry was happiest with life’s simple pleasures; he did not crave the limelight or want to be memorialized. The family honours his wish for a simple cremation without a formal funeral. 

Harry will be remembered and loved by his family and friends in Canada and the Netherlands: Antoinette; his daughters, Odette (Graham), Nadine (Soemitro), and Indah; as well as the ‘bonus’ children that became part of his family: Otis, Maisa, Sol, Ari and Wynn. 

If people wish to make donations in his memory, please consider Heart & Stroke Foundation or Harvest Manitoba.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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