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About 12 months ago Marita Wiltink approached me to enquire whether I would write something about her when the time came. What prompted this was the death of one of the members in our Adelaide congregation for which a piece was written about Malcolm, meanwhile Marita thought this was a very nice tribute. My first thought was to wonder what the title of the article would be as God always gives His input on this first to motivate and get me going. It works as no "writer's block" so far. As I begin writing it just happens to be the one year anniversary of the death of Malcolm Robertson (25.1.2022) whom we loved and enjoyed being with in the few short years he was with us. And so, rather unexpectedly the title was given through our Pastor who updated us on the visit he had with Marita where she resided in a nursing home not far from Adelaide. That update occurred on 15th January 2022, just over a year ago. Now the time has come to share something about the Marita we all came to love and know. How does that song go…"How do you solve a problem like Maria?" You know the one from the Sound of Music — this was one of her favourite movies and so we swapped names to replace Maria with Marita all in good fun. One thing about her, Marita could have a good laugh at herself so no wonder she adapted to Australian life so well after migrating here by ship from northern Germany with family around her "coming of age" milestone. Among some of the places she lived in Australia, Marita spoke of Benalla, Albury Wodonga, and Geelong were keenly referred to before ending up in Adelaide.
The first time Marita attended our congregation was on the Sabbath of 13th February 2016 and my memories are very strong of her desiring to voraciously read every single booklet the Church had published. Because my eldest daughter's wedding occurred on this same Sabbath I did not bring any booklets with me as per my usual custom. To say Marita was disappointed was a bit of an understatement and she didn't hesitate to express this in all her "Maritaness". I was met with this booming voice "My dear (dee-ahh), where are all the booklets?" After the excitement died down she reluctantly accepted the fact that she would need to wait 7 days. Patience dear Marita, patience. After some time due to physical injury and limitations she was no longer able to meet with us each Sabbath and so for several years until her death we enjoyed visiting her in different nursing homes as she moved from one to the other to be closer to her daughter Mandy which worked out well. Marita also had a son, Peter whom she dearly loved filling us in about all the places he travelled to for work. Marita lovingly spoke often about Riley and Austin, her two precious grandchildren as we were given updates each visit. Over time those who knew Marita came to realise that this lady had a keen interest in being with children, helping, teaching and guiding, feeding and providing for them, and having a good "chinwag" as she eagerly adopted all the Australian slang and relaxed way of speaking. Marita really cared about youngsters and spent leisure time in the great outdoors on various camping trips talking with them and carefully listening to their concerns. She invited us to share inside one photo album after another until we saw all of her precious memories — these were full of camping pictures, and as each snap was viewed Marita filled us in with animated commentary. We listened attentively as her life unfolded before us as we would hear her trademark expression "to make a long story short" which would pop up many times throughout these accounts (smiles all round).
Visiting after our fellowship on the Sabbath day we were able to bring her home made foods to enjoy. When we had potlucks the congregation always had something yummy to share with her. The first time she sampled my German potato salad (Kartoffelsalat) the feedback Marita gave me was "I could have jumped in the dish and swam in it, in all its goodness". That was a lovely and rather original compliment so I kept on making it and bringing it along as it pleased her so. The last item brought for her to enjoy came from a new recipe found online for a Blueberry and Quark Baked Cheesecake. It was served cold and was soft eating for her palate and Marita's forthcoming feedback, which was always honest, was "yummy". Marita did not "beat around the bush" — another colloquialism she remarked on with fondness when discovered soon after her arrival here. For someone who loved food but struggled with it in the last several months of her life it was a good day indeed for Blueberry Cheesecake as her appetite had waned and she advised many things made her feel sick nowadays but not this. Another firm favourite were the packets of Speculaas (meaning Windmill) Spiced Biscuits from the Netherlands. Marita would have a large cup of coffee to pair with these biscuits when we were able to find them in Coles, Foodland, or Woolies. During 2020 and 2021 it was not so easy and added to this we were prevented from entering the facility therefore we had to drop off packages at the front desk or outside while they wiped everything down. We did enjoy quite a few visits outside the front of Marita's nursing home during the times of good weather as restrictions were still in place for visitors. Then the time came when it became too difficult for her to come down in the lift to be with us outside.
A memorable highlight from the past 7 years of knowing Marita was the occasion of a wedding held here in the Adelaide Hills of Russell and Cherry Balugo on 27 April 2022. Marita was able to attend and dressed in all her finery. She positively beamed from ear to ear with the widest smile. The sweet fresh air from the pine and gum trees in the countryside was exactly what she needed as she breathed deeply commenting on how wonderful it was to have this after living in a place with windows that were designed to remain permanently shut. There were many things Marita had to endure while living in assisted care which tested her patience and perseverance, but that day was a huge highlight for enjoyment and celebration. We were given a place next to her at the same table and were able to share in her joy. This is how I would like to remember her the most, dressed in clothes rather than the usual pyjamas, smiling, eating and drinking at a Wedding Supper symbolic of what is to come.
Two weeks before Marita drew her last breath, God placed on my heart urgency to visit her for she was about to deteriorate rapidly. Enquiries were made over the telephone to ascertain that we were allowed to visit and so our last outing to see Marita Wiltink occurred on the Sabbath of 14th January 2023 between 1520 - 1630 hours after the morning service. This was when I was able to inform her that I had a title for the writing about her life after she died. Immediately she gave me good eye contact and asked "Well, what is it?" The reply given was "Firing on all Cylinders". Marita smiled knowingly in approval. During our visit Jim was able to connect up her TV set as it had been disconnected and non-operational as well as the DVD player. Her family had organised Netflix but Marita was unable to switch it on whenever she wanted to, which had been quite frustrating for her, but now she suddenly "perked up" thankful that she could watch her favourite series, "Anne with an E" = Anne of Green Gables. This did not at all surprise me as I tend to think Marita related to Anne Shirley, based on a fictional character from Canada, an orphan, quite imaginative, a high-spirited girl who speaks her mind. This is how Marita has come to be seen by those close to her — a lady who spoke her mind and one always knew where they stood with her. We will miss Marita and our visits but certainly look forward to being reunited again in God's soon coming Kingdom. Marita asked for prayers in her last days and weeks of life for her Creator to take her as she battled pain and all that went with living in her recliner chair. RIP dear Marita for God was ready to take you and now all the pain and suffering has ended. Our prayers were heard and have been answered according to His will. Our great and merciful God granted Marita her rest on the morning of Sunday 29th January 2023. That day I was woken up just before 0400 hours (I believe to pray for Marita). Till we meet again.