Obituary of Camillus Johannes Maria De Vries

Camillus Johannes Maria DeVries (Camiel) of London, Ontario died on October 23, 2023, at the age of 84, after suffering a stroke. Camiel was born in Delft, the Netherlands and arrived in Canada as a solo immigrant in the 50s. Camiel is survived by Elinor, his wife of 29 years, his sons Michael (Diane) and Mark (Monique), stepdaughter Bonni and their respective families as well as his siblings in the Netherlands: brothers Bart and Jos, and sister Maria. He is also survived by Trudy, his first wife and mother to his two sons, with whom he and Elinor maintained a close friendship. He is predeceased by his brothers Hans, Thom, Theo, Marcel, sister Ineke, and his stepson, David. Professionally, he enjoyed a long career in banking, culminating with his position as branch manager at St. Willibrord Credit Union (now Libro). He followed this with a successful position in the insurance industry. Camiel was an involved father, having been a Scoutmaster and soccer coach, and a loving grandfather. He volunteered in church, proudly reading to the Sunday congregation with his Dutch accent. His retirement years were punctuated by long and successful memberships with the London, St. Thomas and Tillsonburg Bridge Clubs where his many partners (Don in particular) benefited from his love of the game and competitive instincts. His final wishes were to avoid any fanfare associated with his passing, and the family asks that you keep him in your thoughts and memories.