Engela "Jelka" van der Ford, 63, of West Hartford, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 at her home, surrounded by family. She was born August 27th, 1956 in Hartford and spent her formative years in Windsor. She was a graduate of Windsor High School. She went on to graduate from Cornell University with a degree in Applied Economics and Business Management.
Jelka will be deeply missed by the many that love her and especially for how she brought warmth, joy, and a sense of humor to life, retaining a child's sense of wonder and delight always. Jelka was a dynamic woman with a vivacious spirit and put her heart and soul into everything she did. She was a champion of women's equality and LGBTQ rights and truly was the embodiment of those beliefs.
There are many places that she called home, always adding treasured friends along the way. Most of her years were spent in Connecticut and Ogunquit, ME. Her adventurous spirit led to a lifelong love of travel, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Niagra Falls, Holland, which is her family's country of origin, and her beloved Sarasota.
She was an avid animal lover; no dog could ask for a better home. A perfect day for her would involve time gardening, a visit to the beach with her Boston Terrier, Cayli, and dinner with friends and family, especially lobster right off the boat in Maine. She was a collector of coins and of Delft Blue pottery, reflective of her pride in her Dutch heritage. Jelka got so much joy from being a part of the singing group Rock Voices.
She was most recently employed at Emerson-Appleton in Connecticut. Jelka was very successful in her career, both in her years in real estate and in materials management.
She is survived by her niece Michelle Giliberto of Fairfield, CT and nephew Salvatore Giliberto, Jr. and his wife Julia Nelligan-Giliberto of Glastonbury, CT; her niece Marlayna Urbanski of Cambridge, MA; her grandnieces Alexa Tortora and Samantha Giliberto; her grandnephew Sergio Tortora, Jr.; her brother Theodorus "Dos" Urbanski, Esq. and his wife Irene of Attleboro, MA; her sisters Aleida Janny Small of Nevada, Katarina Schilling of Delaware; her special aunt, Diny Mantz of Harrisburg, PA. She also leaves behind many beloved relatives and friends. She was especially thankful for those that helped care for her this past year.
Jelka is predeceased by her parents Joseph Urbanski and Engelina van der Schoot and her uncle Bernardus Mantz. She was also predeceased by her sister Michelien "Mikki" Giliberto with whom she had a very special bond and she so lovingly cared for at her end of life.
Jelka will be remembered for her passion for life and her deep love and care of her family, friends, animals and the earth.
A celebration of Jelka's life will be held at a later date.