Obituary of Carol Vanker

Beautiful on the outside. Beautiful also within. So we remember our mother and grandmother, wife, sister, and dear friend, Carol Vanker. We gathered at her bedside to bid our earthly farewell and committed her to God’s love and eternal care. Her long battle with cancer is over. She is now at rest and peace.

Carol’s life began in Kitchener on September 7th, 1941 and ended peacefully in Markham on March 2nd, 2024. She was predeceased by her parents Margaret (nee Schenk) and Fred Strebel. Ruth will miss her big sister dearly. Carol has left a huge chasm in her spouse Peeter’s heart and life. They had recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Family was everything to Carol. Her children Mark (Sylvia) and Lynn (Chris) and her grandchildren Jenna, Nadia, Jakob and Pearce whom she adored were blessed with her unconditional love and active presence in their lives.

Carol was a lifelong teacher whose classroom career spanned five decades and a number of cities, with her last 20 years in Markham. She was also a lifelong learner and enjoyed travelling the world with Peeter and her family.

We consider ourselves privileged to have known her, loved her and been loved by her. We thank all of you for your loving thoughts and prayers to remember and support Carol during this difficult final portion of her life’s journey.

The family will make various donations in Carol’s memory to some of the charitable organizations they support and invite you to consider doing the same.

Her funeral service will take place on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, at 11:00 AM at the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home (166 Main Street North, Markham). There will be visitation prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 AM. You are invited to remain for refreshments following. The committal service will take place afterwards at Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery on Kennedy Road, just north of 16th Avenue.

Live streaming of the service will be available from the funeral home website (dixongarland.com).

The LIVESTREAM will begin at 10:45a.m. on March 7th, 2024.