Baelde, Cornelis (Carl)

It is with great sadness that the family of Cornelis (Carl) Baelde announces that he passed away in the early morning of Saturday, July 2, 2022 at the age of 90 at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, with his loving son Paul by his side. Carl is the last of his generation. He was born to Willem and Cornelia Baelde (née Schriek) on December 2, 1931 in Werkendam, Netherlands. He is predeceased by his brothers Isaäc, Hendrik, Jan (John) and his sisters Elisabeth and Jannigje (Jenny).

Carl moved to Canada after WWII at the age of 19 with his brother Jan (John). He worked in the Ottawa Valley to pay off his passage to Canada. He then moved to Sudbury for work, as many immigrants did at the time and was known for spoiling the children of his first landlords by often bringing them out for ice cream before dinner. He became a Millwright and Maintenance Mechanic at INCO, retiring from the Copper Cliff Refinery in 1988.

He met the love of his life at a sleigh ride in the winter of 1967 while on a blind date with her sister. His future parents-in-law became fond of him the day they met for he found Cloe’s mother’s lost wedding band on the beach at camp before anyone noticed it was missing. He granted Cloe her wish of not wanting to be a June bride by marrying her on May 31^st, 1969. They built their home together by hand where they raised their three children Julie, Yvonne and Paul. He proudly lived in that home until his passing. Known for his very green thumb, Carl was often found in his vegetable or flower gardens and was always willing to share his bounty. He had a special relationship with all the family pets, past and present; his lap was never empty. Carl has been described as a hard-working, grand, gentle giant who was proud of his family. He was always willing to help and could “MacGyver” anything. He had a wry and witty sense of humour, was always ready to share a good joke, and liked to blame the dog for unexplained odours.

Carl was the devoted and beloved husband of 53 years of Cloe (Clothilde, née Bergeron). He was the loving father of Julie (Richard Séguin), Yvonne (Marc Audette) and Paul (Carrie Ann Caddel) and grandfather of Patrick, Alexandre, Elizabeth and Liam. He was adored by his great grandchildren Aiden, Kane, Octavia, Aria and Blake. He will be missed dearly by his sister-in-law Georgie (Georgette Bergeron) and his many nieces and nephews both in Canada and in the Netherlands. As per his wishes, no service, no funeral nor wake will be held. In lieu of flowers or donations, in the words of Carl: “Keep your money!”