Obituary of Brother Gregory

BROTHER GREGORY - Theodorus Gerardus Weisenborn – At Oudenbosch, Netherlands on Saturday, July 6, 2013, Brother Gregory died at the age of 84. Born May 12, 1929 in Noord-Scharwoude, Netherlands as the oldest of 3 children, he was taught by the Brothers in Alkmaar. Inspired, he made the decision in 1949 to join them and became known as Bro. Hildebrand, the name of his brother. Following teachers college, Brother Gregory taught school in Alkmaar and become a principal in Lauren. In 1958 he was asked to go to Canada to strengthen the new foundation of the Brothers in North America. He readily accepted this challenge and started his new life in the community of Aylmer, ON under the name of Brother Gregory. His new life was not easy. An excellent teacher and principal in Holland, Bro. had to start fresh here in Canada. He attended St. Joseph's High School in St. Thomas for a year to strengthen his English and then Teacher's College in London to receive his Ontario Teaching Certificate later receiving his B.A. from the University of Windsor. Bro. Gregory taught at schools in Aylmer, St. Thomas, Petrolia and Sarnia – including St. Patrick's High School and St. Margaret's. He was also a principal at St. Michael's in St. Thomas. Fellow teachers and students loved Bro. Gregory for his heart of gold. Every child received a little flower on his/her birthday. He had a special place in his heart for children with learning difficulties and those from broken homes. Bro. became very involved with computers during the early stages, helping teachers and students with this new venture. During his time in Sarnia, Bro. Gregory was very helpful in the Sacred Heart parish helping children become good altar servers and making great contributions at the Linger Longer weekends, including his iced tea. He also took advantage of the beauty of the area, relaxing at the cottage on Lake Huron. Here, he was the host to many fellow Brothers from Holland during the summers. Relatives would also come to visit and even camp with him, as he kept close ties during his 54 years living in Canada. Within the community of Brothers, he was pleasant, helpful, sensitive to the needs of others and always ready to do someone a favour. Bro. Gregory was a Forth Degree Knights of Columbus and board member of the Women's Interval Home. He was also a member of the Seafarers' International Union of Canada, visiting sailors who stopped in the Sarnia harbor and helping them when there was a special need. Bro. Gregory enjoyed travel and nature: he took a pilgrimage to Lourdes and visited Rome; camped all across Canada and the U.S.A. with Bro. Anthony; and he visited the Grand Canyon 3 times. His other hobbies included photography, collecting stamps and coins.Brother Gregory had a great devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Realizing that he was incurable, Brother Gregory asked and received the Sacraments of the Sick on May 15th, in the presence of his family and fellow brothers. He died peacefully on Sat. July 6th with Brother Anthony by his side. Funeral Mass will be held in the Netherlands Thursday, July 18 at St. Louis Chapel, Oudenbosch. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday July 17th, at 7 p.m. Messages of condolence and memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com.