HENRICUS (HANK) CORNELIS
MESMAN
1934 - 2021

Ferociously independent until the end, Henricus (Hank) Mesman passed away at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg on March 11, 2021.
Hank will be mourned and deeply missed by his children - Lisa, Monique and David, their partners and his grandchildren, as well as his stepson Christopher, the son of his life partner, Linda Dunwoody who predeceased him in February, 2020. Hank is survived and remembered by his first wife Leslie, his niece Betty, as well as his sisters and their families in the Netherland - and especially his niece Manon.
In the mid-1950s, Hank joined a wave of immigrants from Holland in search of a better life - and he truly found one in Winnipeg. In his early 20s, he attended night school to improve his English and later won a track and field scholarship to North Dakota State University. Hank completed a Bachelors in Physical Education, then later a teaching degree and his CPA, but he spent most of his working life as a teacher in Morden, Manitoba.
'Hennie' had three great passions in life - his family, bridge and travelling. The order of those is a matter of some (joking) debate in the family. Hank spent countless hours at Winnipeg's bridge clubs and online - and was a competitive force in the game.
Before requiring dialysis, Hank made regular trips to Australia, Canada and the U.S. to visit family and friends. The running joke was that Hennie knew his holiday spots better than the locals because he had scouted out all the bridge clubs before making any bookings.
His family would like to express their deepest thanks for the care, love and support shown by the medical staff at St. Boniface Hospital during Hank's last days - and particularly for the commitment and care shown by the Hemodialysis Team.
In memory or tributes may be made to the Kidney Foundation Canada - kidney.ca.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 20, 2021