Obituary of Grace Louter

With our hearts full of love, and sadness, we want to share with you that our beloved Grace Louter (Haagsma) died on Saturday, April 4, 2020 in Grimsby, Ontario, at the amazing age of 88.

After spending eight weeks in the hospital following a heart attack, Grace was able to be home for several beautiful days in her apartment at Shalom Gardens, sitting in her favourite chair, feeling the warm sun on her face, loving the first signs of spring, and connecting with her family and friends through many wonderful phone calls.

On March 26, Grace returned to hospital care with pneumonia. We will be forever grateful for the gift of her last precious days at home, and for the beautiful care given to her at Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby before she slipped away from us in those last days of March and early days of April. We already miss her terribly.

Grace was born on November 27, 1931 in Friesland, The Netherlands. She was the fourth of ten children born to Auke and Rientje Haagsma. When she was 16 years old, in April 1948, she and her family immigrated to Canada.

In 1955, Grace became a Canadian citizen, and in December of that same year, she married Herman Louter. Grace had five children with Herman, four boys and a girl. Living first in London, Ontario, where all the children were born, they then moved to Ottawa, to St. Catharines, to Brampton, and finally to Hamilton, Ontario. Sadly, only weeks after that final move, in 1990, Herman passed away. Grace lived the next thirty years in Hamilton without him, but she had a positive spirit, spunky energy, a saucy sense of humour, and a big heart, and she made many wonderful friends on her street, through her work, and at her church.

Grace was a hard worker, and she held many positions from her teen years through to retirement: cleaning, factory work, cafeteria work and volunteering, and, of course, family was always front and centre for her. She was the proud grandmother of ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She loved visiting and welcoming people into her home and into her life. She loved good food. She loved reading and puzzling and looking at family photos, and she really loved knitting. If you ever received a pair of Gracie socks, you were part of a special club.

Grace is survived by her children Jim (Marisa), Andy (Margaret), Len (Colleen), Ray (Julian) and Valerie; grandchildren Lysanne (David), Jordan (Clare), Matteo (Amy), Paige, Ben, Erica (Steve), Stefan, Nate, Noah and Sean (Emily); great-grandchildren Finnley, Eloise and Quinn; and siblings Tip, Cecil, Sheila, Peter and Minke. Grace is predeceased by her husband Herman and her siblings George, Betty, Jake and John.

A private gathering will be held for the immediate family at Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton. A celebration of Grace’s life will be held at a later date when it is safe to do so.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Shalom Gardens & Manor or the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.