Beloved grandmother Hendrika ‘Oma’ van Genderen, who captured the hearts of millions online, has sadly passed away at age 89.
She passed away peacefully on February 17 surrounded by family after battling Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
During the 2020 Covid lockdowns, Oma went viral online after her family set up a miniature Coles store at home so she could still do her weekly supermarket shop while stuck in isolation.
Her son Jason van Genderen, from the New South Wales Central Coast, arranged the set up for his mum because she loves going to the supermarket each week.
At the supermarket, Oma was greeted by Jason’s wife Megan and two their two kids Evie and Artie as checkout assistants. There were also a range of Coles products on offer on their kitchen bench.
But since Oma’s passing the family has been left ‘completely shattered’ and say she was taken ‘far too soon’.
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Hendrika ‘Oma’ van Genderen (pictured) who captured the hearts of thousands online, has sadly passed away at age 89
During the 2020 Covid lockdowns, Oma went viral online after her family set up a miniature Coles store at home so she could still do her weekly supermarket shop while she is stuck in isolation (pictured)
Her son Jason van Genderen, from the New South Wales Central Coast, (pictured, left) say his beloved mum was taken ‘far too soon’
The heartwarming videos of Oma shared online have reached more than 100 million views and have been shared around the world.
Her story and the success of the videos has helped raise awareness about those living with dementia and she leaves behind a legacy to assist those affected.
‘Little did we know that – as a family sharing our story living with dementia – we would find such wonder and joy by adapting our lives around our beautiful Oma. Right to the end, she continued to teach us that love is absolutely everything,’ Jason told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I hope Oma’s legacy will be a continuation of frequent, meaningful conversation around elders in our families, and push for more inclusivity and nurturing of our growing dementia communities.’
The heartwarming videos of Oma shared online have reached more than 100 million views and have been shared around the world
As the views increased, Jason and the family kept making family videos to share online which led to the creation of ‘Oma’s Applesauce’ Facebook page – which is now a community of more than 140,000 people.
‘It was important to create that understanding about what people with dementia are going through, how society views that,’ Jason told 7News.
‘Not even just people with dementia, but the roles of seniors in society and the value we place on our family structures with people who are ageing.’
Oma’s story and the success of the videos has helped raise awareness about those living with dementia and she leaves behind a legacy to assist those affected
After sharing the devastating news on Facebook, more than 45,000 gave their condolences to the family, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
‘Very sorry to hear of the passing of your beloved Oma. Her smile was truly wonderful. Treasure all those special memories you have of her. My deepest sympathies to you, Jason, Megan, Artie, Evie and family,’ Mr Morrison wrote.
More than anything, Jason is ‘really proud’ of his mum’s story and misses her dearly.
