KEY POINTS:
Hundreds of people yesterday turned out to farewell Wilhelmina (Willie) Terpstra, the Rotorua woman whose courageous battle with motor neurone disease (MND) attracted worldwide attention.
Mrs Terpstra died last Thursday aged 66 and her funeral was held at Rotorua Crematorium Chapel.
Her three-year fight against MND gained attention when she went to China for a controversial fetal-cell operation, hoping it would stop the disease and, in particular, restore her speech.
"We did whatever we could to prolong her life and especially to raise her quality of life," her husband Rein said in a tribute read out by a family friend.
"She never once complained about her fate and fought an unbelievable fight."
Sadness and humour marked Mr Terpstra's tribute to his wife of almost 40 years. "Willie died peacefully in my arms," he said. As she took her dying breath I told her to close her eyes and go to sleep. For once she listened to me." Mrs Terpstra's friend of more than 25 years, Magda van Dijk, read the tribute and shared her own memories.
"Willie made a difference in other people's lives," she said. "She was just like a queen bee and people were drawn to her."
She said Mrs Terpstra embraced New Zealand life when she, her husband and three children, Michael, Renske and Jan, emigrated from Holland in 1979.
She also recalled Mrs Terpstra's relationship with the talking machine she used to help her communicate after MND robbed her of her speech - "It had real problems pronouncing her Dutch words. Willie thought it was a great joke" - and said Mr Terpstra would come to his wife's rescue and continue her stories.
Ms van Dijk said Mr Terpstra was Mrs Terpstra's "rock" and deserved a medal for his "total devotion". Mrs Terpstra was also remembered for her love of swimming, golf and bridge. A past president of Tokoroa Bridge Club, she played her last game three weeks before she died.
The family thanked the public and her friends Joan Beckham and Mary Lindsay for their support during her battle. MND sufferers, some in wheelchairs, were among the mourners.
"It's so lovely that they are brave enough to come and support their friend," MND Association president Wendy Smith said.
She said Mrs Terpstra was a role model for others with the disease and had shown great courage by going to China and conducting media interviews when unable to speak.
"People now, thanks to Willie, are more aware of MND and what a difficult illness it is." MND affects about 250 New Zealanders at any given time and average life expectancy is two to four years after diagnosis.
Little is known about the cause, making it difficult to find a cure.
Mrs Terpstra's family asked that donations be forwarded to the Bay of Plenty branch of the MND Association (PO Box 15-063, Tauranga).
