On Monday, April 1, 2024, Antonia Pohl (nee Vanden Brink) passed away peacefully with family by her side in Red Deer, Alberta at the age of 86 years.
Antonia Anne was born on August 2, 1937 to Bernardus and Jacoba Jantina Vanden Brink (nee Dijks) in Enschede, Holland. She was the seventh child to arrive in the family, eventually becoming the middle of thirteen siblings, seven boys and six girls. During World War II, her family experienced food shortages and the loss of their home from a bombing. For safety, Anne went to live with her Aunt and Uncle Harm and Fenna Morsman in Apeldoorn for a time.
In 1950, at the age of thirteen, she travelled by ship with her mother and eight siblings to Canada to join her father and older brothers who had emigrated earlier. They lived in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta and then a farm near Sylvan Lake and eventually settled in Red Deer.
Anne studied at Berean Bible College in Calgary, Alberta and graduated in 1961. She loved singing, choir and learning God’s word. Anne loved community and spent a summer serving at Island Lake in northern Manitoba.
Daniel Pohl and Antonia Vanden Brink were married on July 25, 1964 at the Pentecostal Tabernacle in Red Deer. Anne and Dan lived in Ponoka, Alberta and bought a house next door to Olga Pohl (Fenske), Dan’s mother. They soon outgrew that little house and in 1978, moved to the town’s Riverside area with their four children, Brian, Philip, Teresa and Alan.
Anne’s wit and bright spark lit up any room. Her joy, humour, and love for other people was grounded in her love for Jesus and serving him. Her love for children, singing and community led her to form the Stampede Singers Choir. Having walked the immigrant’s journey, she loved welcoming newcomers to Canada, or those just passing through, into her home and heart. She always had a place to stay in other countries, as her welcome was always reciprocated.
Anne was known for her saying ‘Good things come in small packages, and so does dynamite!’ She had an independent and adventurous outlook, even hitch hiking to an Elvis Presley concert in Seattle with her friend Minnie in 1957!
Anne loved bike riding and riding horses and eventually ran a local pony club. As a young mother, she volunteered with clubs her children were involved in, as well as in the schools and the First Baptist Church. She was an avid reader, often doing so when she put her feet up at the end of the day.
As her kids grew, she embarked on a career outside the home and became an Emergency Medical Technician with the ambulance service. She loved to drive fast, as anyone who rode with her can attest to … once avoiding another speeding ticket by quickly parking behind a nearby barn. She then started her own business called Five Star Safety, where she taught safety and first aid.
Dan and Anne moved to Blackfalds, Alberta in 1997 where she served as a town councillor, in addition to creating a storage business with Dan. In 2010 Dan and Anne moved to Red Deer. The highlight of her day was time with her grandchildren.
Anne always loved gardening and could be found tending flower beds with anything from garden spades to kitchen cutlery. Her favourite flowers were tulips of any colour, though red and white were her favorites.
Anne will be lovingly remembered by Daniel, her husband of 59 years, her children, Brian (Aaron Johnston) Pohl, Philip (Rhonda) Pohl, Teresa (Aaron) Wright, and Alan Pohl and her grandchildren, Mattea, Austin and Labrie Wright, Chris (Jessica) Pohl and their son Deacon, Tanner Pohl, and Emma (Jordan) Garrett.
Anne will also be fondly remembered and dearly missed by her sisters, Femmie TenHove, Cobi Visser, and Marijke (John) Gough, her brother, Casey Vanden Brink, her sisters-in-law, Truus Vanden Brink, Tex Vanden Brink, Leany Vanden Brink, Carol Hanson and Denise Vanden Brink, and her brothers-in-law, Robert Pohl, and Alex Wiersma. She will also be missed by many nieces and nephews and their families, who she always welcomed with open arms.
Anne was predeceased by her brothers, Tony, Jake, Max, George, Bernardus “Ben” and Dirk VandenBrink, and by her sisters, Bernardina “Jean” Pohl and Johanna Wiersma.
A Celebration of Life was held at CrossRoads Church, 38105 Range Road 275, Red Deer, Alberta on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. All were welcomed to pay their respects one hour prior to the Celebration of Life. The service will be followed with time for sharing, connecting and fellowship with family. An interment will follow at Alto Reste Cemetery, 26575 AB-11, Red Deer County, Alberta.
Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed at www.parklandfuneralhome.com

Parkland Funeral Home and Crematorium (Red Deer)

6287 – 67 A Street (Taylor Drive), Red Deer. 403.340.4040.

ONLY LOCALLY FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FUNERAL HOME/CREMATORIUM

IN THE CITY OF RED DEER

• Date : 2024-04-11
• Location : (Red Deer) Locally Family Owned (Red Deer/Blackfalds/Eckville) www.ParklandFuneralHome.com & (Innisfail/Olds/Didsbury/Sundre) www.HeartlandFuneralServices.com