Ruurd J Romkema

Alumni Type: Immigrant
Country of Origin: The Netherlands
Ship Name: SS Volendam
Port of Entry: Halifax
Date of Arrival: November 3, 1951

Ruurd Johannes Romkema (1904) was born on September 18,1904 in the Dutch village of Joure (Fr). He grew up in the nearby village Dronrijp. At an early age he showed an interest in business and began a sales career by selling Margarine to retail stores. On November 30, 1930 after a six-year courtship he married Rinske Van der Ploeg (1907) who lived on a farm in Lieve Vrouwen Parochie. During the depression years, Ruurd expanded his sales to include sweets and baked goods. The scarcity of foods, especially during the Second World War, proved hardship for Ruurd’s business. Soon after the war Ruurd and Rinske considered emigration as an option. With Ruurd’s lack of farming skills, the opportunity did not arrive until the Government of Canada offered the family a promise of employment and housing. They disembarked the SS Volendam on November 3, 1951 in Halifax. Ruurd soon found employment at Imperial Optical in Toronto and just three years after their arrival, the family bought a new bungalow in Downsview, ON. Ruurd’s dream however, was to own and operate a small farm in the country. In 1958 he purchased a fifty-acre farm in Innisfil, just south of Barrie, ON. He soon found that it was more profitable to sell eggs directly than through wholesale. After a few years he developed successful vending routes and spent the last ten years of his career enjoying the freedom of an independent businessman.

Ruurd and Rinske’s marriage was blessed with seven children, however their three-year-old Tineke died in a tragic accident in 1944 and one year later their ten-year-old son, Jan, died from a hand grenade explosion. Their strong faith in God carried them through these troubled times.

They loved their children: Cornelius, Miep, Allan, Albert and Christine, their grandchildren and great grand children.