KRALENDIJK- The founder of Joke’s Minimarket in Playa Pariba, Johanna van den Berg, known by many on the island  simply as “Joke” or ‘Joke from Joke’s minimarket’, passed away earlier this week at the age of 87. This was announced on Wednesday by Joke’s children.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Joke’s Minimarket was a household name among the residents of Bonaire. With her tiny minimarket, located just a stone’s throw from the Flamingo Beach Resort, Joke built up an impressive clientele on the island over the years.

The store was particularly popular when it came to the boxes of Amstel beer that were sold there in large quantities. This was at a time when Amstel beer bottles still had a deposit. Anyone who brought a full box of empty bottles received a full one at a reasonable price from Joke. She also sold a lot of soft drinks, and in a time when there were still few supermarkets on the island, the store often offered products that were not available elsewhere.

Friendly and humble

But what residents who knew Joke remembered most was her always friendly and humble attitude towards everyone who visited the store, and the fact that she tirelessly dedicated herself to her store.

Daughters Sadie and Carmen and son Patrick will, together with their children and grandchildren on Tuesday, will bid farewell from their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in a private family setting.