Edward (Eduard) was born in the Netherlands on October 23rd, 1930. He lived in the port city of Ijmuiden with his parents and sister through the depression and then eventually the German occupation of the Netherlands and a period known as the “Hunger Winter.”
After the war, he graduated from Agricultural College before deciding to set out for the U.S. in 1951. He was fortunate to have an uncle in North Carolina who was in the flower business. (Yes, the family always saw the irony of a Dutchman coming to work in the tulip industry.)
He moved up to New York to work for a friend of his uncle’s, also in the flower business. (Old habits die hard?) He was then promptly drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War despite not even being a U.S. citizen yet. Because of his language abilities, he was stationed in Austria and Italy as a PFC medic. This allowed him to visit his family in the Netherlands without breaking the bank.
He returned to the New York area after being discharged where he met his wife-to-be, Maggie (Marguerite Wilson), and they wed in 1955. Maggie persuaded Ed to use his multilingualism to his benefit and apply for a job with the airline business just as the Jet Age was taking off. He was hired by United Airlines at Idlewild (JFK) in New York City. When an opening became available at Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), he was hired on the spot as an airline representative based in NYC.
They were blessed with two sons, John and William, during their time on Long Island.
In 1973, he was offered a position as sales manager in upstate New York (Rochester). He, Maggie, John and Bill seemed to “bloom where they were planted”…Fairport, NY was where they were planted! Because of Ed’s position with the airlines, the family enjoyed many international travels. Unfortunately, Maggie passed away in 1994.
Continuing with the travel theme, Ed remarried in 1995 to Kathleen (Kerr), a travel agent in an agency he met through sales calls. They, too, were happily married for almost three decades until Ed’s passing on January 25, 2023 at age 92.
Ed was predeceased by his parents, Jan and Hillegonda (Swart) Wiersma; and his first wife, Marguerite (Wilson) Wiersma.
He is survived by his wife, Kathleen (Kerr) Wiersma; his sister, Margreet (Wiersma) Visser; his sons, John (Louis Simpatico) and Bill (Mary Katherine Allen); his niece, Irene (Ben Ruijs).
Funeral Service Wednesday February 1, 2023 11AM at White Haven Memorial Park All Seasons Chapel 210 Marsh Road, Pittsford.
Donations may be made, in his memory, to
Honor Flight Rochester, Inc., P.O. Box 23581, Rochester, NY 14692. or https://honorflightrochester.org/donations/ . Ed was especially proud to be part of a 2017 Honor Flight mission with his son, John.
Comments
2 responses to “Wiersma, Edward”
I am so very sorry to hear about Ed. He was a great person. He will be missed. Keeping the Wiersma family in my thoughts and prayers.
With Deepest Sympathy,
Julie
So very sorry to hear about Ed’s passing. I went on a couple group travel agent trips with Ed. He was always fun and informative and loved to have a good time. I looed forward to his office visits as the SAS rep and then as a sales rep for other companies. I will remember hime fondly. May his memory be for a blessing.