Free from suffering

Owen Cornelis Kattenberg

September 1, 2018 - October 11, 2025

Our dear precious Owen peacefully passed away here at home early this morning, October 11. He fought his cancer hard, he fought bravely, he fought with strength. We will forever be so proud of him. We knew it was time for him to go, but he was so unpredictable as there were many times we thought his time to die was near and he didn’t have much longer. But he would just keep hanging on. Once we stopped predicting, then God decided it was his time to leave this earth and be done with the pain and suffering.

We were all asleep when it happened. I came downstairs shortly after he passed to find him peacefully gone. His bed was downstairs on the main floor as he could no longer handle being carried and moved. We would check on him every couple hours during the night. It was God’s will that we slept through one of our alarms early this morning, so we did not witness his last breath. The wail I let out this morning when I found him was one of heartshattering pain and grief bubbling up from my mother heart.

We were so blessed to be his parents. We are thankful to the Lord for entrusting Owen to us, allowing us to raise him for 7 years, to love him, to teach him and to enjoy watching him grow and learn. We don’t understand God’s ways. But we can thank Him for the blessing of 7 beautiful years with Owen.

We are hurting. This pain is like nothing we’ve ever experienced. This pain is felt physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It’s sharp, stabbing, crushing, overwhelming pain and heartache. I (Amanda) am lost. I cared for him through this whole cancer journey. I did all his nursing care, I gave his medications, I bathed him, I comforted him, I did all the things for him. And now he’s gone. I am lost. And I have to eventually figure out how to keep going. I don’t know how to do that yet. But God in His grace will continue to care and provide for us.

Please continue to pray for our family as we grieve. Please pray for Rick, myself and each of our children as we figure out life without Owen now. Please pray for Owen’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and anyone who knew him.

We are so thankful for the care and support of the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. If you feel inclined, instead of flowers for us please donate to them so they can continue supporting our family as we find our way on this next leg of the journey, and so they can continue with their wonderful care for other families with terminally ill children. https://www.canuckplace.org/

We hope to let people know funeral details when that is all worked out.

Thank-you to everyone for the prayers, the care, the support, and all the love and kindness shown to our family so far. God has used you all to help us through so far. We truly appreciate everything anyone has done for us. He has heard every prayer. He provided the strength we needed when we had nothing left. He provided the means to help keep Owen comfortable. Thank-you.

Owen’s favourite song from his scripture lullaby bear was: TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR TOMORROW.

Take no thought for tomorrow

For tomorrow will take care of itself

Take no thought what you’ll eat or drink

Or what you’ll wear, you needn’t care

Take no thought for tomorrow

Know that God is watching over you

Your Heavenly Father knows what you need

So take no thought for tomorrow

Every little bird in the air His eye does follow He is watching over them

How much more does your Father care for you, His child

His own child.

Based on Matthew 6:25-26 “...do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on...Look at the birds of the air...your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (NASB)

And Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (NASB)

Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”