Henriette “Yedda” Jockin, 89, passed away peacefully among
family and the dedicated staff at Whispering Pines Assisted Living Facility in
Plover, Wisconsin, on November 5, 2019.
Yedda was born on July 3, 1930, to Willem and Gerria
Krijgers-Janzen in the Netherlands. She
was an adolescent during WWII, as the German military occupied her country and her
home. She learned early on to make the
best out of even the worst situations.
At age 13, she convinced one of these young German soldiers, who also
happened to be a concert pianist, to teach her to play the piano. She continued to play until her dying days,
often by memory or musical ear. The
Canadian military forces liberated her hometown of Aalten in 1945. She recalled
SPAM being thrown from the army tanks as they rolled through, saying that
nothing has ever tasted better.
Yedda completed her studies in the Netherlands, receiving
her Masters in Social Work. However, she
started a career for the Dutch government working abroad, and was stationed in Dutch
Embassies in the Middle East; primarily Istanbul, Turkey. She loved travel and met her husband, Hubert
“Huib” Jockin, who was also from the Netherlands, during a ski weekend in
Albach, Austria. They kept in letter
contact for 2 years before she received a telegram in the Middle East with a
marriage proposal and request to move to the United States. They settled in Buffalo, New York where they
lived for over 45 years. She relocated
to Wisconsin one year ago to be close to family.
Yedda and Huib were married 54 years before Hubert’s passing
and raised five children: Victor, Yvette, Eric, Mark and Michelle. She was an exceptional wife and loving mother,
making family her top priority. She worked part time as a Real Estate Broker
and continued her service to the Dutch Government. She served as the Honorary Consul of the
Netherlands for New York State for over 15 years. She was one of only two women in the United
States that held this position. She was
later knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands for her lifelong service to the
Dutch government and became a member of the Royal House of Orange. The same Canadian men who liberated her
hometown in 1945, presented her with this medal of honor in 1985 in Buffalo, NY. You may therefore refer to her as Lady
Henriette.
Most importantly, Yedda had a zest for life that was
inspiring. She loved adventure, world
travel, the natural world and just being a goof ball. She was a strong, sophisticated, highly
educated woman who loved to dress her best and enjoy the finer things in life;
but also loved a good Whopper and a beer.
She had a heart of gold with eternal optimism. Even in her decline, she took each loss in
stride and enjoyed the life that remained; mostly by spending time with her
family, including her 13 grandchildren. There
was not a day that went by that she didn’t find something to smile about, no
matter how rough life could be. There is
a lesson in there for all of us. She
will be greatly missed.
A celebration of life will take place in Buffalo, NY at a
later date. In lieu of flowers, please
send any contribution to Alzheimer’s Association in her honor. The Mid-Wisconsin Cremation Society is
assisting the family. For online condolences, please visit
www.HonorOne.com.
