Nicole Harder

Nicole Harder, Nicole Boehm (first marriage)
birth name full: Nicole Jacqueline Ghislaine Hermant
Father: Aime Hermant, Belgium
Mother: Julie Stiennon, Belgium

A message of FAITH from Nicole’s own words:

I want to share my message of Faith with you. I was watching a sermon by Max Lucado about the Holy Spirit and he mentioned that if anyone had some experiences to share with others that they should do it now and so after listening to him, I just felt compelled to share the following with you.

I lived in Belgium and wanted to come to Canada. However, I knew it would break my parent’s heart if I did. I didn’t know what to do and I asked God to please tell me what I should do. I am crying while I am writing this to you as I have only shared it with a few, but I just feel that I must tell all of you now.
Did I get my answer? Yes, I did, not just once but I got it even confirmed again.
That evening, after asking God to tell me, I decided to let my fingers open my bible at any page and then, I put my finger somewhere on that page and I can’t remember where it was or the exact words I read but it said something like this ” ……and they will go across the
ocean…..”
So, I felt He was telling me to go across the ocean. Then, the following morning, I got a magazine in the mail and the full page cover had pictures of Canada with Canada written in capital letters in the center of the page. I cried and felt that’s it. That was the second time but I got it a third time. That evening, my boyfriend asked me to go to the movie theatre and in Belgium, prior to the main feature, there was always either a cartoon, or a documentary or a short movie and you never knew what that would be. So we went to the movie and as the lights went down, the short feature appeared on the screen and it said Le Canada Vous attend translated: Canada is waiting for you. My boyfriend was so mad and he said he couldn’t even go to the movies without being bugged about Canada. That feature presentation was about inciting people to move to Canada and the opportunities the country was offering. I couldn’t believe it. But after that, I decided that I was going to Canada and that nothing nor nobody could prevent me to go. So in July 1968 I came to Canada and it was the most wonderful thing I could’ve ever done. I felt compelled to share this with you and thank God for helping me put it into words, thank you Lord. God bless you all and if you too, have a message of faith to share now is the time to do it, not tomorrow but now. Always remember God is there for you when you need him.

Nicole arrived in Canada with about two hundred dollars in her pocket. She had a nanny’s job lined up where she would be looking after a large household of kids in Calgary Alberta. I believe she said there were eight kids, Nicole was a nanny for approximately 18 months during which time she applied for different jobs and was hired at Berlitz School of Languages in Calgary. Nicole taught French there and met August Boehm at a dance club while out with her girlfriend. Nicole and August married and in March of 1971 Nicole gave birth to a son: Jeffrey Boehm. Within two years of starting at Berlitz she had become director, but ended up leaving the school and started selling homes as a realtor in Calgary for the Permanent real estate company. She worked very hard and sold a lot of homes becoming one of the top saleswoman in Calgary in just a few years. Nicole worked and traveled a lot with her job and even designed the blueprints and had her dream home built on an acreage just outside of Calgary near Red Dear Lake. Nicole worked a lot of hours and traveled to a lot of cities across Canada taking Real Estate courses unfortunately Nicole and August separated in the early 1980’s, Nicole and her son Jeffrey moved to Vancouver where Nicole soon earned the title of top saleswoman in Western Canada for Canada Trust. The company was so impressed with her that they asked Nicole to become their branch manager at the West Vancouver office and over the next two years that branch became the number one branch in Western Canada at which time she was promoted to the branch head of Western Canada for Canada Trust based out of Vancouver.

In 1986 Nicole was teaching one of her real estate courses in sales when she met Dan Harder who had recently moved from Manitoba to British Columbia Vancouver and was eager to learn how to sell homes. Dan and Nicole fell in love and married later that year. Dan moved in but told Nicole he missed his three sons, Terry, Kelly, and Randy, and really wanted to move back to Manitoba. Nicole agreed and later that year she sold her house and moved to Manitoba where they bought a beautiful acreage together just outside of Winnipeg in the Oakbank area. Nicole soon after quit her job at Canada Trust and became a professor at the college of Saint Boniface where she taught business for many years and then retired. Once retired, Nicole enjoyed knitting and had a passion for drawing and painting, she was an incredible artist and part of an art club. Nicole was also the Best Granny in the whole world to her granddaughters Brielle and Avery whom she loved with all her heart.

Nicole’s second husband Dan Harder passed away on February 15th, 2023, and soon after she sold their acreage in March of 2023 moving to the city of Winnipeg where she was close to her son Jeffrey and would be able to receive home care.

Nicole Harder passed away July 30th, 2024 at the age of 80, leaving behind her son Jeffrey Boehm and his family as well as three stepsons and their families.

Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., at Springfield Heights Mennonite Church, 570 Sharron Bay S. Interment to follow at Elmwood Cemetery.

Donations may be made to Cancer Care Manitoba.