Frederik Pieter Vermeulen, a dearly loved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the age of 97.
In May 1952, Fred (Frits) moved to Canada as the eldest of nine siblings. Along with his two oldest brothers and their parents, he made the courageous choice to start a new life in Canada. They settled in Winona where they built a family home and continued to grow together. Dad had a knack for fixing and building anything. He worked for many years at Stelco and played an important part in project management during the construction of Lake Erie Works Stelco, which led them to live in Port Dover for over 30 years. Dad was also an artist who loved painting; our family treasures many of his artworks displayed in our homes. He had a keen interest in photography too, using both traditional methods earlier on and later embracing digital photography alongside computer use. When we were kids, he even had a darkroom where he colored black-and-white photos before color film became available. Dad was always eager to learn new things and read National Geographic cover to cover for decades. He took on challenges like learning how to use computers and i Pads while expanding his library online. One of his favorite activities was looking up addresses using Google Earth. Together with friends and family, Mom and Dad created wonderful memories through camping trips, canoeing (with Omer Stringer), hiking, playing tennis, sailing – just to name a few.
Fred is predeceased by his beloved wife Ann (March 2022), with whom he shared 68 wonderful years. He is survived by his children Nina Vermeulen (Darwin Brooker), Fred Vermeulen (Mary Jo Hind), Lia Swanson (Jim); grandchildren Nick (Sherry), Leah, Matt, Alex (Scott), Kees (Jess), Jim (Lydia) and Mike; great-grandchildren Justin, Sebastian, Lucas, Reya and Owen. He was predeceased by his brothers Cor (late Maaike), Albert (late Anke) and Peter (Corrie). His surviving siblings include Betty (late Henry), Dirk (Wilma), Henny (late Brian), Len (Sue), Christa (late Jack) along with sister-in-law Audrey (late Gerald). Fred was a dear cousin as well as brother-in-law and uncle to many in both Canada and The Netherlands.
Cremation has taken place. There will be visitation at STONEHOUSE-WHITCOMB FUNERAL HOME located at 11 Mountain Street GRIMSBY (905-945-2755) on Friday June 19th from 4-7 p. m., followed by the Service of Remembrance on Saturday June 20th at 2 p. m.
Link to view the service: https://www. hdezwebcast. com/show/memorial-service-for-frederik-vermeulen
If you wish to make memorial contributions, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be greatly appreciated by the family.
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