Cornelia “Corry” VandenDolder

Cornelia (Corry) VandenDolder, age 101, passed away on June 8, 2021 at Pardee Hospital with her children by her side.

Born in 1920 in the Netherlands, Corry was a member of the Greatest Generation, having survived both the Great Depression and World War II. Her home town of Venlo was invaded and occupied during the war. Corry dodged bombs and bullets, experienced hunger, and helped her family to survive by walking miles in search of food. Her then beau and future husband, Jan, worked with the Dutch Resistance. From Jan, who listened to the BBC on a hidden radio, and from the newspaper office where she worked, Corry learned the latest news on the Allied war effort and relayed that information to family and friends. She kept a journal during the last six months of the war, which was donated to the Venlo archives and was published in 2017 in the book Vlucht Naar Tegelen (Flight to Tegelen).

In 1948 Corry and Jan emigrated to the United States and settled in New Jersey, where all six of their children were born. Supporting her husband’s career as a chemist, Corry moved her family 12 years later to Illinois and 12 years after that to Connecticut, where she lived for more than 40 years. After being widowed for 7 years, she moved to Hendersonville in 2012 to live with her daughter and son-in-law.

Corry served as chairman of the Altar Committee for many years at the Catholic church she attended in Illinois. She won several trophies as a bowling champion on her senior citizens team in Connecticut. She enjoyed gardening, playing cards, going to the beach, and taking adventurous camping trips with her family, the memories of which her children cherish to this day.

Corry was devoted to her family and Catholic faith, was loved and admired by many, inspired others on a daily basis, and was known for her beautiful smile, kind eyes, youthful laugh, and sense of humor. She always treated others in a way that made them feel respected and appreciated.

Corry was preceded in death by Jan, her beloved husband of 57 years, her siblings, her parents, and one daughter-in-law. She is survived by her six children, William (late wife Joyce) of Fresno, CA; Paul (Cheryl) of Mundelein, IL; Richard (Carolyn) of Minneapolis, MN; Evelyn (William Erickson) of Hendersonville, NC; Ronald (Linda) of Sunderland, MA; and Teresa of Madison, CT. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Corry’s favorite charities, Catholic Relief Services and Doctors Without Borders.

Because Corry will be buried next to her husband in Madison, CT, there will be no visitation or memorial service in Hendersonville. Service details may be found on the website for the Guilford Funeral Home in Guilford, CT.