What started as “moe” and “our moe” evolved over time;
Moe, Moemoe, Ma, Mathil, Mathilleke from the Bergen…
Born in 1937 in Itegem and grew up there as a farmer’s daughter
Somewhere at the tail end of 12 children
She was intelligent but studying was not possible
Married in 1959 to Staf Vervoort from Herenthout
Also someone from the tail end of 12 children
Also a farmer’s son
Last year they were able to celebrate their golden anniversary
You might think they were just two ordinary simple people
But they were and are the best parents
They had four sons; Gust, Johan, Eddy, and Benny
Mathil was literally the captain among 5 men
So she raised 5 children
Together with Vava, she always worked hard to get somewhere
Who knows how many carpets she painted, maybe thousands…
As children, we lacked nothing and were given every opportunity
Once the children left home, she was always ready for everyone
She helped build houses, laid out gardens, painted, wallpapered, nothing was ever too much
In ZEB, her eldest son’s business, she was a constant for the 1001 small tasks
She personally sealed hundreds of thousands of letters, late into the night
She was happy and proud that she received so much appreciation for her efforts
Her grandchildren adored her, she was a true moemoe..
She liked being modern and would ask the girls for advice, or show her latest dance moves
Her waffles were truly the best around
She had her opinions about everything but judged and condemned no one
In later years, she finally started thinking about herself
Dancing became a passion…
And she did it totally and completely
Choosing music, practicing steps, and learning more, again and again
And she literally danced as long as she could
In 2001, her illness was diagnosed, relentless and unavoidable, like a sword of Damocles
Only in 2008 did the first real encounter with it occur
It was hard and heavy but she got through it
She then made her decisions
Despite this, the end came unexpectedly and quickly
But that’s how she wanted it.
In one of her last conversations, she remarked that she had known a lot of happiness, even with this illness
Because she lived actively for 9 more years after it was diagnosed
That’s how she was, practical, pragmatic, and optimistic until the last moment
And we are sure that she is now up there teaching dance steps, to who knows who ??? …