Antonia G. Labbe

LABBÉ, Antonia (Toni) Geraldine Sampers
Dec. 23, 1924 – April 15, 2012

Wife to Nol (Gerard Arnold Labbé), mother to seven children, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, Toni passed away peacefully on April 15, 2012 after a long illness.

Toni was born in Makassar, Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes), Indonesia to a Dutch father and Indonesian mother. Her life was literally a long journey that began when she met and fell in love with Nol as they listened to her Hawaiian records together.

Their dream was to come to "the promised land" of America, but their journey together first took them to New Guinea, and then to the Netherlands, where they were able to obtain the requisite immigration papers for passage to America.

Their first stop was Elkhart, Indiana but the brutal winters there were too much for diesel mechanic Nol, who decided the warmer climes of California might be more suitable.

That was in 1962 and the house they bought in La Puente that year meant the long journey to find a safe and welcoming place was finally over: They were home and that house is the one in which Toni was able to stay until the end, always with Nol at her side.

Toni is survived by her loving husband Nol; her children Renee (Blackstone), Bob, Bill Arny, Yvonne (Bouchard), Lisha (Howard) and Shirley (Moore); her grandchildren Gavan, Zach, Lena, Toni, Liza, Angela, Paul, Julia, Michael, Staci, Christopher, Kevin and Andrew; and her great-grandchildren Arthur, Hailey, Jossie and Julia.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 20 at Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 21300 Via Verde Dr., Covina.