Obituary of Edward Bellem

Edward Bellem 21 January 1923 - 31 March 2023 Eddie achieved his goal of turning 100 and has now passed away peacefully to join his beloved wife Marjie (nee Davidson). He was the youngest son of the late Otto and Roelina (nee Vink). Eddie is also predeceased by his first wife Augusta (nee DeNeve), siblings Roelina, Willem and Anne-Marie (Bronkhorst), daughters Roelina Caserta and Regina Brennan, stepdaughter Patricia Buchanan, step grandson John LeFaivre and nephews Chris Bellem and Willem Bronkhorst. Eddie is survived by daughters Carmen Shultz (Dale Hartwig) and Astrid Bellem. He is also survived by grandchildren Carrie, Kaitlyn, Rachel, Gary, Kelly and Daryl, step grandchildren Alex, Emily, Mike, Marc, Robert and Richard and nieces Mariette (Willem), Hansje (Dirk), Lies (Hugo) and Joyce. Eddie and Marjie also leave behind 21 great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. Eddie was born in Holland and raised in Indonesia. After the war, he returned to Holland to earn a degree in Electronics Engineering at Delft U. He emigrated to Canada in 1960 to join the Bell Northern Research team. He started the company Epitek Electronics in 1969 and was a pioneer of semiconductor research and manufacturing. He finished his career at the National Research Council with the IRAP startup program. Following that, he moved to a log home on 50 acres in Portland, Ontario where he and his wife Marjie operated The Butterfly Craft store. Eddie was always busy with hobbies such as photography, woodworking, stained glass art, landscaping, renovating and winemaking. He was also active in lawn bowling and curling in Smiths Falls. He took up competitive swimming in his 80s and won 19 medals in various events including the 2013 Senior Games in Cleveland Ohio. Eddie also travelled extensively for business and pleasure. When he wasn’t actively creating, fixing or playing sports, he could be found in his favourite lazy boy chair, listening to classical music and reading or doing sudoku puzzles. The family would like to thank the staff at Broadview Nursing Home for their care and support. Memorial donations in his name can be made to the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital Foundation – Smiths Falls Site (https://psfdhfoundation.com/how-to-give/).