Carla was born March 18, 1962 in Hontenisse, The Netherlands. She grew up on a farm with one sister and five brothers and learned about the land and the work involved in farm life. Carla much preferred working outside with her father and brothers as opposed to being inside investing in what she considered “women’s work.”

Her adventurous spirit and curiosity about people and the world took her to Africa, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and Europe where she spent time travelling. Her interest in seeing the world began in her teen with mission work in Austria and Italy, making contributions to housing for the disabled and schooling for children. World travels brought here to the Yukon in 1991 and it felt like home from the first weeks.

Her love of the land and outdoor life took her on camping and fishing trips. Horses, another sustaining passion has also endured throughout her life. Interest in wildlife and spending time exploring the Yukon landscape with friends and visiting family has created many stories and highlights of her life.

Carla met Lloyd, the love of her life in 1992 and made the big move to Yukon in 1997. Carla and Lloyd had a wonderful life together, developing their own beautiful property and making many wonderful friends along the way.

The love she shared with family and friends has sustained her through life. Her legacy of love and loyalty is captured in the many stories her family and friends share about how she has supported and enriched their lives. Children and animals of all kinds were drawn to her fun-loving nature and kindness.

Her unwavering spirit and warmth always came to support those she loved when they needed it the most.

Carla was also a successful business woman, launching Arctic Tulip Bookkeeping in 2000 and gearing down beginning in 2016. A number of small businesses were sustained and supported by her commitment to her clients and understanding of business.

Carla approached her 2016 Cancer diagnosis with courage and a fighting spirit which was her approach to life. She defied the early estimates made by her doctors and lived longer than predicted. With an infectious positive attitude and sense of humour, she would call her doctors once a year to inform them that she had lived another year longer!

Lloyd, Carla’s family and her many friends will miss her smile, her strength and support. We are grateful for all she brought to our lives. She said to us as she released her hold on this life “look to the sky and you will see me soaring as a peregrine falcon.” Carla believed that life is timeless and is sustained in the natural world and a quote that she shared was: “Death is not the opposite of life, but only the opposite of birth.”

A poem Carla asked that we share is:

I’d like the memory to be a happy one,
I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done,
I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days,
I’d like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun of happy memories that I left when my life on earth was done.
Author unknown

A Celebration of Life will be held December 4, 2021 at 10 am Yukon time.

The gathering will be by invitation only due to COVID restrictions. Family and friends from The Netherlands and others will be able to join by Zoom. To access the Zoom link, please email Gaye Hanson at ghanson@northwestel.net Dutch language interpretation will be offered for parts of the event. We hope that all those who knew and loved Carla will connect to express our gratitude for her journey with us throughout her life.

In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations to be made for a bench to be placed by the Yukon river with a plaque in her honour. Carla’s wish is that it be a place of rest and refuge with a beautiful view of the river for those on a journey. Donations can be made by e-transfer to ltaylor@northwestel.net or at the Celebration of Life event.