Kenneth Harper Jr., 79
Kenneth Harper Jr., 79, of Holland, passed away Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Ken was preceded in death by his daughter, Stacey L. Harper on July 17, 2025; and his parents, Kenneth and Margaret Harper.
Ken graduated from West Ottawa High School in 1965. He went on to work at Chris-Craft, W.H. Porter, American Aerosol, Howard Miller for 13 years and Trendway for 28 years.
Ken was always willing and ready to help anyone, be it with anything electrical, body work on a car or welding. He enjoyed volunteering at car shows, specifically at the Burn Survivor Car Show, Graafschap Christian Reformed Church Car Show and the Trendway Car Show.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sue; son, Mike and Elvira Harper; granddaughter and great-grandchildren, Cecilia Garcia (Victoria, Daniel, Adrian, and Romeo); siblings, Jim and Holly Harper, Jack and Sally Harper, Darla Harper, and Kelly and Gayle Harper; and sister-in-law, Sharon Sebasta.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home, 315 E. 16th St., Holland. Interment will be in North Holland Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be given to Gentiva Hospice.
Kay Van Der Kooi, 82
Kay Van Der Kooi, age 82, passed away on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Kay was a faithful member of Faith Christian Center (now Shekinah Revival Ministries). She was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was devoted to her faith and family. Kay was the youngest of 11 children and always wanted a big family of her own.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, George Van Der Kooi, in 2017; siblings, Don (Francis) Veldheer, Larry (Wilma) Veldheer, Russell Veldheer and Elmer (Marlene) Veldheer; infant brother, Wayne; in-laws, Jack Millard and Esther Veldheer, Elaine Van Der Kooi, Harris Driesenga, Kenneth (Helen) Van Der Kooi, Vivian Van Der Kooi, James Van Der Kooi, and Gary Jaarsma.
She is survived by her children, Mary (Joe) Beelen, Lois Van Der Kooi (Larry Cleveringa), Daniel (Vicki) Van Der Kooi, Ruth (Kevin) Nagelkirk, Mark (Alicia) Van Der Kooi, Anna (Dave) Cook, and Phillip Van Der Kooi; 18 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; siblings, Vernon Veldheer, Esther Veldheer, June Veldheer and Glenn (Marcia) Veldheer; siblings-in-law, Lillian Veldheer, Kae (Dale) Moes, Bert Driesenga, Hazel (Norlin) Feenstra, Marie (Steve) Grassmid, Lawrence (Janice) Van Der Kooi, Marv (Maryjo) Van Der Kooi and Beverly Jaarsma; and many nieces and nephews and extended family.
Funeral services will be held Friday, April 17 at 12 noon at Ottawa Reformed Church, 11390 Stanton, West Olive, with Pastor Cliff White officiating. Burial will take place in Olive Township Cemetery.
Visitation with the family is tonight from 5 to 7 p.m., at Yntema Funeral Home, 251 S. State St., Zeeland.
Memorial contributions in Kay’s honor may be given to Shekinah Revival Ministries, 1941 Washington Ave. Holland, MI 49423 or the Alzheimer’s Association at donorservices.alz.org.
JoAnn Dykstra, 87
JoAnn Dykstra, 87, of Zeeland, passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2026.
JoAnn was born Aug. 30, 1938 in Leesburg, Ga. and was the daughter of John and Cleo Hamby. She loved to go “out and about” visiting the shops in the area, reminiscing about growing up in Georgia and spending time with her southern relatives, and enjoyed chatting with those she met. JoAnn was very proud of going to nursing school and becoming a registered nurse.
JoAnn was also a longtime member of Trinity Reformed Church. She loved her family, especially her husband, Henry, and had a strong, unwavering faith in God.
Survivors include her children, Craig (Mary) Dykstra of West Olive and Brenda Gugino of Holland; grandchildren, Tasha Polk, Stephanie Lindquist, Devon Kimball, Justina Kimball, Sarah and Joshua Dykstra, Danielle Gugino, Remy Lee, Tyler and Taryn Gugino; 10 great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Maureen Hamby-Small.
JoAnn was preceded in death by her husband, Henry; daughter, Beth Kimball; son-in-law, Tod Gugino; and brother, Frank Hamby.
Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 22 at Trinity Reformed Church, 712 Apple Ave., Holland. Burial will be in Pilgrim Home Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21 at Dykstra Funeral Home-Northwood Chapel, 295 Douglas Ave., Holland.
Leola J. Oonk, 95
Leola Jeane (Van Koevering) Oonk, 95, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Zeeland.
Born on March 19, 1931, in Zeeland, Leola was a woman of great faith and quiet resilience who moved through life with a smile on her face and a song in her heart. A graduate of Zeeland High School and the Grand Rapids Junior College School of Nursing, she devoted many years to caring for patients at Zeeland Community Hospital.
Leola helped bring hundreds of babies into the world as the lead RN of the OB Department. After retirement, she provided home care nursing for infants and also volunteered as a flight nurse for Wings of Mercy.
Leola was unapologetically devoted to the people in her life. She was the kind of woman who would not hear a bad word spoken about anyone she loved — and she loved widely and without reservation.
Leola’s faith was not ornamental; it was the foundation of everything. A member of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, she lived her beliefs through daily acts of grace, protection, and welcome.
She is survived by her son, Tom (Deb) Oonk of Zeeland; grandchildren, Holly (Rob) Corrigan, Logan (Lindsey) Oonk, Spencer Oonk, Matthew Oonk, and Isaac Oonk; great-grandchildren, Harper Corrigan and Colin and Marin Oonk; brother, David Van Koevering of Eaton Rapids; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Her husband Jack, to whom she was married for 56 years, preceded her in death in 2007, followed by her beloved son, Timothy Oonk, in 2015. She was also preceded in death by her parents, George and Dorothy Van Koevering, and her brothers, George and Barry.
A celebration of life service was held Tuesday, April 14 at Second Reformed Church, 225 E. Central Ave., Zeeland. Burial was in Zeeland Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to Wings of Mercy.
Robert Terpstra, 92
Pastor Robert Dale (Bob) Terpstra, 92, passed away peacefully and into the presence of his Savior on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 after a week-long struggle following a stroke.
Bob was born in Holland on July 8, 1933 to Henry and Hester Terpstra. He attended Holland High School, Moody Bible Institute and Bryan (Tenn.) College.
After serving as youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Lincoln Park, he became senior pastor in McBain, then Wyoming Park, then again at the church in Lincoln Park, and then Immanuel (Baptist) Church in Holland - his home church - for 17 years, during which time he also served as Holland Police chaplain for many years.
Following retirement from the pastorate, he became the transportation supervisor for Holland Public Schools for more than 12 years.
Being a born-and-raised Holland native, he was the perfect Tulip Time trolley tour guide – in full Dutch costume with wooden shoes. Another of his favorite roles was as funeral home attendant at Lakeshore Memorial Services which he did for 25 years.
Bob married Barbara Elgersma in 1956 and they shared 50 years of marriage and ministry, prior to her passing in 2007.
They were blessed to adopt two girls, Beth Roe and Brenda (Terry) Bosch. The girls have since blessed him with six grandchildren: Michelle (Jenna) Ezinga, Michael (Faith) Ezinga, Mitchell (Bridget) Ezinga, Mackenzie (Dana) Baumgardner, Jessica (Mike) Bowman and Rebecca (Brenen) Louwerse; great-grandchildren, Malakai Van Volkinburg, Lauryn Baumgardner, Phillip James Dawe, Lincoln Baumgardner, Carmen Ezinga, Adeline Louwerse, and baby boy Ezinga on the way. Other family members include Jan’s children and grandchild, Jared (Jen) Boyd and Jodi Boyd; Taylor Andrews; Bob’s siblings, Ken (Bonnie) Terpstra and Elaine (Rev. Monty) Ledford; and many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and friends.
In 2008 God brought Jan (DeRidder) Boyd into his life. He would say God had this union planned “before the foundation of the world.” And both enjoyed the “best years of our lives” together for close to 18 years. Pastor Bob & Jan became known as PB&J and many friends enjoyed following their adventures all over the world.
A memorial celebration of life will be held Friday, April 17 at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Church, 325 104th Ave., Holland. Visitation will be prior to the service on April 17 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church.
Memorial contributions may be given to One for Israel, oneforisrael.org or Make a Difference Ministries, PO Box 5334, N. Muskegon, MI 49445; madministries. net.
Darwin Boerman, 67
Darwin “Darby” Boerman, 67, met his Savior and reunited with his son, Ryan in heaven on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Darby was firmly planted on the Boerman farm in Bentheim.
He was preceded in death by his son, Ryan; parents, Jerald and Harriet Boerman; father-in-law, John Betten; and sister-in-law, Kim Betten.
Darby worked at Hamilton Farm Bureau for 43 years. He loved serving the farming community and building relationships at the pit with his fellow farmers.
Darby loved his community and had a passion for investing in the next generation. He enjoyed being a youth group leader through the years, going to the students’ event and cheering for them throughout their lives. Mr. Darby enjoyed mentoring his Kids Hope student and saying hello to all the students and teachers at Bentheim Elementary School.
The core of his life was his deep faith is Jesus. As a farmer, faith and trusting God for His provision were central to his everyday life. Around the dining room table, Darby taught his children to pray for God’s provision (rain) and to thank him for his goodness when He provided (a light, steady one-inch rain in July).
Darby is survived by “his girls”: his wife of 42 years, Diane, and daughters, Emily Boerman and Marissa Boerman; and his sister Dawn and Brian VanderHulst. He is also survived by mother-in-law, Jan Betten; sisters-in-law, Judy Betten, Kris and Don Swackhammer, and Jodi and Dave Heneveld; nieces and nephews, Josh Swackhammer, Nate and Monica Swackhammer, Rachael and Aaron Walters, and Matthew and Megan VanderHulst, Leah, Seth, and Micah Heneveld; great-nieces and great-nephews; and many dear friends.
A service in honor of Darby was held Tuesday, April 14, at Community Church of Douglas, 6874 Wiley Rd. Interment was in Bentheim Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Ryan Boerman Legacy Fund C/O Holland/Zeeland Community Foundation.
Brad Kolean, 62
Brad Preston Kolean, 62, passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Born June 23, 1963, Brad will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude by all who knew him. He was a dedicated husband, married to Kim Kolean for 22 years. He graduated from Grand Valley State University and built his career in the banking industry, where he worked throughout his professional life.
Brad is survived by his wife, Kim Kolean; children, Jennavieve Kolean and Jaxon Kolean; stepson, Justin Geerlings; siblings, Keith (Dawn) Overway of Holland, Beth (Greg) Bloemers of Holland, and Mike (Jann) Kolean of Holland; in-laws, Robert (Carole) Lampen of Hudsonville and Joy (James) Michmerhuizen of Zeeland.
Brad was preceded in death by his parents, Preston and Donna Kolean of Holland.
A celebration of Brad’s life will be Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m. at Ridge Point Church, 340 104th Ave. Holland.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lakeshore Memorial Services to help the family with final funeral arrangements. Please call 616-395-3630 or send a check made payable to Lakeshore Memorial Services, 11939 James St. Holland, MI 49424.
