Maria “Puck” Botman, who served as the general manager of Lighthouse Publications Canada for many years before retiring in the 1990s, died this November.
Born in 1929 in Zwolle, a city in the northeastern Netherlands, Puck lived through the occupation of Holland during the Second World War. Later, she studied at a secondary school for higher positions in trade and industry.
Following the war, she served as an officer in the Royal Dutch Navy and became one of the secretaries of Prince Bernhard, of the Netherlands, in his capacity as inspector general for military forces.
While in the Navy, Puck met her future husband Matthias Botman, and they started a family before immigrating to Montreal during the 1950s.
After spending time in the U.S., the family returned to Montreal in 1968. In her next 20 years, she served as general manager of Lighthouse.
Upon he retirement, she moved to Vancouver’s west end.
“Many members of the Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association (CSDA) will be saddened to know of the passing of Maria,” reads a statement issued by the CSDA. “At the time she was well known to many stamp dealers across Canada.”
Puck died on Nov. 25.