Pioneer succumbs after life of dedication to community

Turkstra helped many settle in

HAMILTON, Ontario - Dutch-Canadian pioneer Peter Turkstra who lent his name to various well-known area businesses, recently died at the age of 90, nearly 75 years after arriving in Canada. Turkstra became a lifeline for many postwar Dutch immigrants who settled in the Hamilton area, helping them to get started in their new country.

Turkstra, a brother and a sister acted as vanguards for their family when the three of them arrived in Canada in 1925. Their parents and the other seven brothers and sisters followed a year later.

The Turkstras were associated with the egg business, construction and building material sectors, all enterprises started by Peter who through his Inner Peace Foundation, established in the 1950s, supported various causes, including Redeemer College at Ancaster.

Turkstra is survived by his wife Jantina (Havinga), sons Herman, Carl, Clifford and daughter Marlene, and their families.