September 14, 1932 - May 10, 2022
In Loving Memory ~
Henry (Hank) was born September 14th, 1932 in Bussum, Holland to Catherina Schulte and Henrik Krijnen. He passed away on May 10, 2022 in Kelowna, BC.
A life well lived. Hank and his 4 sisters grew up in Holland during WW2 where he met Canadian liberating soldiers. These experiences shaped his childhood dream to become a Cowboy in Canada. At the age of 18, he left Holland for his Canadian adventure. His first job was at a family friend's dairy farm in the Fraser Valley. Realizing he could milk cows for a Dutchmen back in Holland he headed north to ranching country. This is where he found his true passion and lived his Cowboy dream on the grasslands of Alkali Lake Ranch for 25 years.
Hank met his wife Julia Dakin at the Risk Creek Rodeo dance. Julia was a nurse who had recently immigrated from England. She managed to tame this wild cowboy and were married in 1970 at St. Josephs Mission. After a few more years at Alkali Lake, they bought property at Frost Creek and built one of the first Durfeld Log Homes in the area. Hank and his friends hand peeled the logs from Linde's Sawmill. He also lost two of his fingers to a table saw blade while building the kitchen cabinets.
During this time Hank worked for the the Ministry of Forests ARDA division. He rode the range on his horse Jack as a liason between local Ranchers and the Crown managed range program. He raised calves over the winters and was active with his kids in the Springhouse 4-H Club.
In 1992, Hank and Julia bought Castlerock Farm on the West Fraser Road and built their retirement home. Together they grew vegetables for the Farmer's Market and raised calves to sell each spring. He rarely missed a cattle sale where he could catch up with his good friends. Hank was a John Deere man and enjoyed collecting and maintaining his vintage equipment. He always had a can of green paint handy and didn't hesitate to paint everything his favorite color.
Hank was a kind man with values from a generation gone by. We're sad to see this old timer go and will miss his stories of the old days.
Hank was predeceased by his wife of 49 years Julia Krynen (Dakin) in 2019. Also predeceased by his sisters Nel, Leni and Til. Father of Andrew (Victoria) and Joanna (Andrew). Proud Papa to Anna, Catherine, William and Alexander. He leaves behind a sister Teresa and many nieces and nephews in Holland.
A Celebration of Life will be held this summer.