MacCoubrey Funeral Home Reception Centre
30 King Street East, Cobourg
This obituary is protected by copyright by MacCoubrey Funeral Home Limited. Proudly serving Northumberland County in the province of Ontario, Canada. All rights reserved.
At 3:08 pm on Friday, Henk weighed anchor, raised the sails and sailed off into the sunset. His adored wife Wendy and his beloved daughter and son, Nina and Pieter were on the dock to release his lines and bid him farewell. Waving from a distance was his cherished sister Fenny Bloemink, his daughter-in-law Leslie and beautiful grandson Sebastian. He will be missed by all who knew him, especially his nieces and nephews and extended family in Canada, The Netherlands and the U.K. and his multitude of friends around the world. The end was fast, but only to be expected from a race car driver.
Henk was a charismatic Dutch Canadian adventurer who grew up with his two sisters in war torn Amsterdam where they survived the “hunger winter” of 1944/45. In college he studied auto techniques and following his service in the Transport Division of the Dutch army he took up rallying and car racing. He then became the Director of the Anti-Skid School at the Zandvoort Grand Prix Race Track in Holland where he taught the art of Skid Control to many famous race car drivers, including Jim Clarke and Graham Hill. He emigrated from Holland in 1966 and partnered with BP Oil to open the first of two Skid Schools in Canada. While operating these schools he raced Porsches and Mini Coopers on weekends at the Mosport racetrack near Toronto. In time, Henk moved back to his first love of racing and cruising yachts and he spent immeasurable time sailing with his family around Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands. He was a true voyageur and looked for bigger adventures so twice he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. He braved storms in the Bay of Biscay, sailed through the Bermuda Triangle, all around the Caribbean Islands and up and down the Atlantic seaboard countless times.
His loss to his family is immense but he will be remembered for his catch phrase “hello beautiful” which he used indiscriminately and to great effect. Many, many thanks to Dr. Reynolds and all the staff at the Golden Plough Lodge and to Dr. Mule and the palliative care team at NHH. You are all amazing. A Celebration of Life will be held at MacCoubrey Funeral Home, 30 King Street East, Cobourg, Ontario on May 16, 2025 at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Northumberland Hills Hospital, The Northumberland Humane Society, or BC Children’s Hospital.
Dear Wendy, Nina and Pieter, We are thinking of you and sending love and heartfelt wishes at this very difficult time. We have so many fantastic memories of Henk, from the time he met us in Montreal on our first visit to Canada and showing us the local sights; attempting to visit Boldt Castle and avoiding being incarcerated by US immigration; dashing out on New Year’s Eve to buy olives so we could welcome in the New Year with a classic martini, to spending the day at Goodwood Motor Racing Revival where he shared so many stories of his racing days and the drivers he had met and beaten! We always loved seeing Henk, knowing that every get together would be met with a huge bear hug and kisses. He was, and is a legend in our house and continues to be so with our children Rufus and Florian, who also loved spending time with him, learning about his accomplishments as a racing driver, and who have shared their pride in their Great-Uncle Henk by separately presenting projects at school about him racing mini coopers. He will be greatly missed Love to you all. Matthew, Jessica, Rufus and Florian
A very sad time for you all but you have so many happy memories to hold on to. My lovely brother-in-law Henk lived any amazing life full of fun and adventure. He lived live to the full and shared wonderful times with his beloved family and friends. Thinking of you all and sending much love to my sister Wendy, Nina, Pieter, Leslie and Sebastian. Love Belinda and Kevin xxx
My goodness ,what a shock..Henk was Such a wonderful, caring Friend..I Met you both in the 90's when I hosted the Alberg Rendezvous in the Magothy River.Home of Jackie and Teddy Tepper..All these years together in The Alberg 37 family..I always looked forward to our get togethers.My Heart is hurting for you and your Family..I know he is Sailing in Heaven and Enjoying his time with TJ..Much Love to you, Wendy and your Family..Big Hugs 🫂
Sending our deepest condolences to Wendy and all of Henk's family and friends. So sorry for your loss.
Such a beautiful tribute to Henk. A larger than life character, always ready with a smile and a big hug. An absolute charmer... Our thoughts are with our lovely cousin Wendy, Nina and Pieter. Sending love Jackie, Jill and Tony
My sincere heartfelt thoughts and prayer are with you Wendy and family at this very sad time...he was truly a great guy and I always enjoyed his visits to the office...he will be missed.
I am sorry to hear of the passing of Henk. Sending heartful thoughts and prayers to you Wendy and family.
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Northumberland Humane Society
Dear Wendy. Many, many years ago Richard and I met you and Henk when we joined a mini-flotilla of 4 sailboats cruising from Lake St Louis to Lake Champlain. Friends ever since. You and I have both lost our captains now. Rose-Aimee.
Just heard the sad news about Henk. Bless him. We are so sorry, Wendy for you and the family. Horrible wrench for you all. No adequate words but our love and thoughts are with you Hugs all round, Dennis and Margaret xxxx
Our heartfelt condolences go out to you Wendy and your family. Henk was such a treasure and will be sorely missed; he always greeted everyone with genuine friendliness and had so many stories to tell. We will miss you Henk💕🪽⛵️
Deepest condolences to the de Vries family, Mrs. Bloemink and her family. Will always remember Wendy’s Uncle Henk and his wife and his charismatic hospitality he showed us when we all stayed at their house enroute to a ski trip many years ago. Sending strength and love.
To Nina, Wendy and Pieter, When I think of Henk, I always see him smiling. So I am sure he is sailing around this Earth somewhere near. I remember him always as being Kind and thoughtful with interest and passion. He helped me once with a person pursuit as you know. May he rest and sail in Peace. I know how much you will miss him. Thinking of you all at this difficult time.
Wendy - my sincere condolences on Henk’s passing. Wayne and I always enjoyed our time with you and Henk talking sailing and Albergs. May he rest in peace.
Both Karen and I are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our friend, Henk. For many years we have enjoyed our friendship, especially in sailing. We both loved sailing. One of my favourite memory with Henk was the time we crossed the Atlantic in 2007. Henk will be missed by all his friends. Henk has set his anchor for the last time and joined all the other “Shellbacks” Henk will be missed by all his sailing friends. Marcel & Karen
Our heartfelt condolences to Wendy, Nina and Peter. Henk was a dear friend who will be missed by anyone who had the opportunity of getting to know him. Having known Henk since moving to Canada in the late 60s we fondly recall the great times we had together sharing our common interest such as sailing and motor racing. And as a fellow Dutchman I always enjoyed our telephone calls when we resorted to our common mother tongue just for old time sake.
We are so sorry to hear about Henk’s passing Wendy. Margaret has been updating us on your and Henk’s journey these past few years. We will never forget our last visit when we sailed TomKat into the marina in Coburg and there was Henk cycling down ready to take our lines at the dock. Sending you and your family our most sincere condolences on your great loss. xo kathi&Tom
Wendy and family we send our sincere condolences to you all. Henk was a man with real zest in so many ways.
Oh dear Wendy It was an inspiration and honour to have befriended Henk. His cheerful banter about exciting endeavours stirred my blood for adventures of my own. I will fondly remember my visits with you two on Monk’s Cove with good conversation and a never ending glass of wine. Nancy and I wish you comfort and peace ❤️
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation
Our sincere and deepest sympathy to you Wendy and all the family on the passing of Henk.
We feel fortunate to have known Henk. Our condolences to his family. ❤️
Farewell and Fair Winds as you sail off our dear friend Henk. Memories never to be forgotten.
Thinking of you and your family Nina. What a beautiful tribute to him on the page. Of course you yourself are a great tribute to the adventurous spirit of your father. Grace and peace to all of you in the days ahead.
Dear Wendy and family, So sorry about the passing of your dear Henk. Please accept my sincere condolences at this stressful time. Thoughts are with you all. Linda McGaw
Dear Wendy, Nina, Piet and family, We send you lots of love at this time. Uncle Henk was always lovely to be around and a joy for Emily and all of us with stories of Sinter Klaus and cleaning shoes. We loved seeing you when you came to visit here both in Bosham and Knutsford. Our thoughts go out to you all. With love Lizzie, Monika and Michael
Very sorry to learn of your loss Wendy. Sending you best wishes at this difficult time but I know you will find great comfort from your family as well as your many friends in Cobourg. Take care. Rita
Dear Wendy, Nina,Pieter,Fenny and family Our condolences on the passing of Henk.His passing had ended 64 years of friendship with Henk. He was a warm, caring, fine and loyal friend to us and our family. We will miss him very much. The many nice meetings and holidays in Holland, Austria and Canada will always remain in our memories. The telephone conversations and letters also kept the good contact going all that time Dear Wendy Nina and Pieter ,we wish you much strength in saying goodbye and in coping with this great loss. Henk was always very proud of you all and he was very happy with you as his family. We are with you in our thoughts and will keep in touch. Love , Kiek and Annet
Dear Wendy, Nina and Pieter. I am very sorry to hear of the loss of Henk. He was such a character and I remember him making me laugh throughout my childhood when you came to visit. It was lovely to see him again after many years when you visited us in Knutsford and I am glad he got to meet Lewis who also sends his love to you all. All our love, Emily and Lewis
Dear Wendy, and family, My sincerest condolences to all on Henk's passing.What a very handsome and accomplished gentleman he was. Your tribute to Henk is absolutely beautiful and I'm sure that all you mentioned of his life will serve you in loving memories .As I know all too well his stage of health, his sailing into the sunset is truly a blessing. Rest well Henk in your new adventure. In sympathy Susan Murray
Our heartfelt condolences during this difficult time from the team at Compassionate Heart Home Care. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with Henk and offer our services when needed. He will always be remembered, In our thoughts and prayers. Jamesi and Meg
Henk will be missed by many people. He was a very good friend and fellow sailor.
Wendy, we wanted to let you know how sorry we are to hear of Henk’s passing. Our thoughts go out to you and your family at this sad time. Hugs Christine and Frank
Dear Wendy, a beautiful Eulogy for Henk, from his very proud wife. I only met him a few times so I didn’t know him well but I do now. I instinctively felt however, that he was a darling man and I am happy to have met him. My sincere condolences to you, Nina and Pieter. Marilyn
Dear Wendy, You are in our thoughts as you come to terms with the passing of your beloved Henk! He certainly lived an amazing life filled with adventure! He was such a kind, friendly man, and he will certainly be missed by all in The Cove! Love and condolences to you and your family. Lee and David
Wendy, I was so sorry to hear of your Henk’s passing . I shall be holding you ,and your family in both my thoughts and prayers . May all your special memories be a blessing . Benny ♥️
Wendy, it is with great sadness that I learned of Henks's passing. I am so sorry for your loss. Please accept my warm and heartfelt sympathy and know you and your family are all in my thoughts. May fond memories of Henk bring a smile to your face, comfort to your soul and warmth to your heart.
Our condolences go out to Wendy Nina and Pieter. We will miss our crew member but have many memories to keep us going. RIP Henk our friend
Thinking of you, Wendy, and family. Sending lots of hugs. 💝🎵🌟🎵💝
My condolences and comfort to Henk's friends and family. Wendy is a member of our choir and we send her many hugs, both sonic and literal. Henk attended our performance at The Golden Plough last week, it was so good to have him there. Clearly he will be deeply missed. Abby Zotz Director, AbZolutely Choir Northumberland
Wendy, Pieter and Nina. Martin and I were sad to hear about Henk's passing. He lived big, and had the biggest presence in The Cove. The next time I make mac and cheese, I will think of him. And I will miss his "hello beautiful " greetings. Set sail, our friend. You will be missed.
My sincerest and deepest sympathy to you, Wendy, and all the family, on the passing of Henk. May he Rest in Peace.
Dear Wendy, So sad to receive this message. But most of all, sad for you, Nina and Pieter. Beautiful lines you wrote about Henk and reading this, I think you must have had very happy moments together. I hope these memories will be a comfort to you. It made me smile when I read about him saying 'hello beautiful' to each and everyone. Abou 70 years ago he already said 'Dag schoonheid' entering our home in Bussum. I was 9 then. Henk will live on in your hearts and you, your children are in my thoughts and in my heart right now. Love. Laura Corduwener
To Wendy, my beloved friend! Henk was definitely “one of a kind” and such a good friend to me and my children. I know your loss is difficult to bear but you will find solace in remembering the wonderful adventures and relationship that you and he had together for so many years. Condolences to Nina, Peter & family. Your dad will be missed by so many people. He made all our lives brighter. 🤗❤️🐧
Beautiful tribute to Henk! He was an amazing man and a wonderful neighbor! I consider myself blessed to have known amd loved him. Bon voyage Henk. Praying for you Wendy as you grieve this incredible loss. Grieve well.
Henk was a wonderfulman and good friend. I have shared many sailing tales that will be fondly remembered. My condolences to Wendy and family.