Cornelia "Fien" Josephine Hulscher, 92, of Anacortes, Washington, sadly left us on May 11th, 2023. Fien was born March 3rd, 1931 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

Her early years in the Netherlands included living through the 5-year German occupation of her country. These formative early hardships left an indelible mark that helped shape her into a fiercely independent and self-sufficient woman. In her early adulthood she started a guesthouse in her home in Amsterdam. Fien's love of people, renowned cooking skills, frugality, and creativity were particularly suited to running a guesthouse. Her children, Erna and Bela, grew up in Amsterdam helping with the day-to-day of the guesthouse, surrounded by travelers from around the world.

When her daughter, Erna, fell in love, and moved to the United States, she and her daughter, Bela, soon followed to start the next adventure. Fien, ever the capitalist, soon purchased a neglected hotel and restaurant in Anacortes, Washington. She spent the next 7 years working constantly to turn the property into what would become the distinguished Islands Inn and La Petite restaurant. Bela took over the Islands Inn and La Petite and ran them as a fixture of the Anacortes community for the next 28 years.
Fien didn't slow down in her retirement. She traveled the world, and relished in the unique freedoms that traveling as a solo older woman afforded her. She visited war torn countries, cities in the midst of political upheaval, made friends with children on the beaches, teased men in the tea-houses, helped women in markets with their goods, hitchhiked, stayed in youth hostels, and generally relished getting into the thick of things everywhere she went.

Fien was a fixture in the Anacortes community for over 40 years. She loved people. Anyone who engaged with her for more than five minutes quickly became aware that above all else she loved having fun. Fun to her meant practical jokes (playing them and having them played on her), teasing, dancing, traveling, cooking, mushrooming, and gardening.

She lived life on her own terms.

She will be greatly missed.

She is survived by her daughter, Bela Berghuys, her grandchildren; Jarad Poor and his wife Kelly, Skyler Poor, Remi Vorobik and her husband Andrew, Kito Vorobik, Yetta Vorobik and her husband Chad, and her great-grandchildren; Bjorn, Terje, Cas and Freya. She was preceded in her death by her daughter Erna Berghuys-Dryer.

To share memories of Fein sign the online guestbook at www.evanschapel.com/obituary/fien-hulscher