Ajax is remembering longtime business owner and community builder Adrian Vandermeer, whose handmade greenhouse grew into one of the town’s best-known family businesses.
Vandermeer, the founder of Vandermeer Nursery, died Aug. 27 at the age of 93.
His death prompted condolences from residents, customers and municipal leaders who remembered both the business he built and his decades-long connection with the Ajax community.
Adrian Vandermeer started nursery in 1961
Vandermeer’s connection with horticulture began long before he arrived in Canada.
He grew up in Holland, where he worked in his father’s greenhouse while still young. During the Second World War, he began working there full-time and later attended night classes while helping support his family.
After immigrating to Canada in the 1950s, Vandermeer worked in tobacco fields and lumber camps while saving money and learning English.
He eventually married his high-school sweetheart and settled in Ajax.
While working full-time at General Motors, Vandermeer built his first greenhouse by hand on his one-acre Ajax property in 1961.
That greenhouse became the beginning of Vandermeer Nursery.
The family business says the original structure was approximately 80 feet by 50 feet and constructed using salvaged wood and glass. Plants were initially sold from the driveway and front yard.
Ajax business continued growing
For almost a decade, Vandermeer balanced his General Motors job with operating the growing nursery.
He eventually left GM to concentrate on the business full-time.
Over the decades, additional neighbouring land was acquired, more greenhouse space was constructed and the retail operation continued to expand.
Vandermeer Nursery remains at 588 Lake Ridge Road South in Ajax and has been operating for more than six decades.
Today, second- and third-generation members of the Vandermeer family continue operating the business.
Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier described Vandermeer as a respected business leader, community builder and proud Ajax resident.
Collier said Vandermeer’s determination and belief in his community helped turn the nursery into one of Ajax’s best-known local institutions.
Community involvement extended beyond nursery
Vandermeer’s contribution to Ajax extended outside his business.
According to his family’s tribute, he was involved with St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Knights of Columbus.
His family also recalled that, as an immigrant himself, he understood the challenges of beginning again in another country.
He helped newly arrived families with practical needs including finding housing, employment and furniture as they established themselves in Canada.
Away from work, his family remembered him as someone who enjoyed sailing, cross-country skiing, camping, dancing, playing euchre and spending time outdoors.
Even after stepping away from daily operations at the nursery, longtime customers continued asking about him.
Vandermeer legacy continues in Ajax
Hundreds of condolences and memories were shared after his death was announced.
Vandermeer leaves behind five children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
His family’s tribute emphasized that his legacy will continue not only through the nursery carrying his name but also through the values, traditions and community connections he established.
Public visitation is scheduled at McEachnie Funeral Home in Ajax on Sept. 1 and again Sept. 2.
The funeral service is scheduled for Sept. 2 at 1:30 p.m., followed by interment at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery. The reception following the interment is private.
In lieu of flowers, the family has invited donations to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
More than 60 years after Adrian Vandermeer constructed his first Ajax greenhouse by hand, the business he founded remains family-operated — a lasting part of his contribution to the community.
