Catherina MENET DAFOE

MENET DAFOE, Catherina
BA, BSW, N.W.A. C.-V135,
Veteran of WWII

Catherina died on March 18, 2015 at the Joseph Brant Hospital, Burlington, ON.
  Catherina nee Hill, was born in Domburg, The Netherlands, on August 22, 1925. On December 17, 1936, she arrived in The City of London with her parents and five of her six brothers. In the summer of 1939 Catherina was awarded the Lord Mayor's Prize for English Composition and was to continue her education but this was not to be. In October 1939, she was instructed to report to an electrical repair shop located in the Faraday Museum, where she helped to refurbish RN ASDIC units. Next, she was instructed to report to a small factory and fabricated parts for the RR Merlin engine. In the spring of 1943, Catherina volunteered for the Netherlands Women's Auxillary Corps, at its inception, and was quickly assigned to SHAEF at Whitehall (before Eisenhower's arrival and SHAEF's move to Teddington).
  She boarded a landing craft on June 5, 1944, and spent six days in the English Channel before landing at Normandy. She was classified as Netherlands Red Cross and drove ambulances, supply trucks, and her favourite, the M5 half track. She helped to liberate Amsterdam and watched Mongomery's arrival. It was in Brussels that she met her first husband, Frederick Crosby Menet, a Canadian soldier. She immigrated to Canada as a war bride, while pregnant, aboard the RMS Queen Mary, which was still fitted as a troop carrier, and arrived at Pier 21.
  In her forties, she obtained her high school equivalency diploma and entered the social work program at McMaster University. Following graduation, she worked for many years at the Hamilton Wentworth Children's Aid Society. After retiring Catherina volunteered with the McMaster Gerontology department, sharing her experience of aging with students. She continued to enjoy her bridge club and golf, and had two holes in one. Catherina met her second husband, Roy Dafoe, through a shared interest in local history and archeology, and they enjoyed many trips and adventures together. She lost Roy in 2012 but continued to be as active as her health would allow, driving a five- speed manual transmission car until she broke her hip in March, 2013.
  Catherina was blessed with grandchildren, John Burnett (Michael), Jennifer Woods (Barry) and Tess Menet (James Little) as well as great-grandchildren, Madeline and Grace Burnett, Amelia Woods and Benjamin Little. She is also survived by her children Julie Menet of Victoria, BC and Peter Menet (Nancy Greenaway) of Burlington, and her stepsons, Rory Dafoe (Rhonda Schultz) of Maple Ridge, BC and Shaun Dafoe (Becky Edwards) of Burlington.
  Catherina was predeceased by her son, John, brothers Harry, George, Percy, Edward and James. She is survived by her brother, Charles. Her first husband, Fred Menet, died in 1987.
  She was adventurous and if she had been a ship she would have been the HMS Indefatigable.
  The family would like to extend its thanks to all her friends, the support staff at Bonnie Place II and to the many doctors and nurses who cared for her during the last year.
  Cremation has taken place.
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