Hendrik (Henk) Melles—artist, father, grandfather, partner, and friend—died peacefully at home on January 1, 2026 after a twelve-year struggle with Parkinson's.

Henk was born on March 5, 1943 in the town of Winsum, the Netherlands, the youngest of seven children: John, Dorothy, Joann, Mary, Jean, and Leona. In 1955, at the age of twelve, he immigrated with his family to Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a teenager, Henk made the difficult decision to leave high school to help support his parents financially. He worked at the family-owned Bierling Bakery, completed high school by correspondence, and continued to develop as an artist. He went on to become the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Calvin College with a Bachelor of Arts in art, philosophy, and education. While at Calvin, he played on the soccer team and met his first wife and love, Sabbina, in math class. They brought their eldest daughters into the world, Michelle and Stephanie, while Henk worked as a teacher in Holland, Michigan.

In 1971, Henk, Sabbina, and their two young daughters (Michelle and Stephanie) immigrated to Toronto as part of the Institute for Christian Art in Chicago. Under the guidance of his mentor, Dutch artist Henk Krijger, Henk became part of a collective of young Christian artists who founded the Patmos Workshop and Gallery at Richmond and Spadina and had numerous exhibitions throughout Toronto. Henk and Sabbina settled in the Lower Beaches of Toronto, a block from the beach, where Henk became a stay-at-home father—an uncommon role for a man in the 1970s. He devoted fourteen years to renovating their house until every inch became a work of art, unified by a hand-carved, hand-welded spiral staircase running from the basement to the third floor. Henk and Sabbina’s youngest daughter, Eva-Marie, was born during this time. Shortly after this architectural and artistic achievement was complete, they separated, with Sabbina returning to the U.S. with Eva.

After his divorce, his good friend RJ landed him a job as a maintenance mechanic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), where he met his partner Sarah. Together they welcomed their daughter, Gera. After retiring, Henk devoted himself to raising Gera, being a grandfather, painting, sculpting, reading, philosophizing, listening to Bob Dylan, visiting coffee shops, sharing a pint of beer with friends, and renovating the home where he spent his final years.

Henk was cared for in the last part of his life by his devoted family—Gera and Sarah—and by his extraordinary caregivers. Despite immense physical suffering, Henk remained a thoughtful, witty, and loving father. Although he eventually lost the ability to paint, he still moved his hands to paint in his dreams. His influence on his children, and on all who knew and loved him, was profound and lasting. We are all enriched by his unique spirit, wisdom, faith, creativity, good humour, kindness, and love. His deep Christian faith, his love for his children, grandchildren, and friends, sustained him through life’s intense struggles—the joys and the pain.