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Catherine Bijlefeld, 92, died peacefully on Jan. 10, 2022, at Evergreen Health Care Center in Stafford Springs, CT. She was the third of 12 children born to Th. C. and Wilhelmina Vriezen in Sittard, The Netherlands. She married Willem A. Bijlefeld, a young theology student under her father's tutelage, in 1950, and their devotion to each other lasted until his death in 2013. The couple had four daughters – Astuti Bijlefeld, of Bluff Point, NY; Wilhelmina Bodine, of Henniker, NH; Joke Trzaskos, of Coventry, CT; and Marjolijn Bijlefeld (Robert Burke), of Fredericksburg, VA.

She will be missed for her exuberance, industriousness and hospitality. During the 24 years when she and Wim were at the Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT, their home was a gathering place for students, faculty and visitors from around the world. She was a charming hostess and happiest when the house was filled with people who were laughing, talking and eating. She was a gifted storyteller, with a subtle sense of humor and a magnificent sense of description, who could hold her own in multiple languages. For 13 years, she was a social worker at Avery Heights retirement community in Hartford, and she brought energy, joy and devotion to each resident.

She was a dedicated mother and friend and a doting Oma to her twelve grandchildren: Raphael Wright, Joshua Wright, Micah Wright, Lydia Scheepsma, Johanna Hullings, Nathaniel Wright, David Wright, Melissa Tobey, Courtney Harvey, Justin Trzaskos, Emily Burke and John Burke and 14 great grandchildren. She is survived by four of her brothers and sisters in the Netherlands: Annie, Theo (Anna), Han (Adrienne), and Karel (Tootje) Vriezen and one brother-in-law, Piet (Else) Bijlefeld, and dozens of nephews and nieces. She made fast and lifelong friends everywhere she traveled and lived – the Netherlands; Nigeria; Hartford, Connecticut; South Reading, Vermont; and in the communities of kind aides who helped care for her in her final years.

Knight Funeral Home in Windsor, VT, has been entrusted with the arrangements. She will be buried in the spring next to her husband at the Amsden Cemetery in Reading, VT, and the family plans to host a live and virtual tribute to her life.