Ernest Dupont

Ernest (“Ernie”) Dupont left for heaven on June 17, 2012 from Grand Haven, Michigan, where he was a resident of Grand Pines Assisted Living Center. Ernie had been looking forward to reunion with his beloved wife, Gladys, to whom he was married for 64 years, prior to her death in 2011.

Ernie was well-loved by a large circle of friends, relatives, and former customers. He was known as a top-notch optician in Grand Rapids, as well as a warm, funny, kind-hearted extrovert who went out of his way to help people whenever he could. He was a dedicated Christian who lived what he believed.

Ernie was born in Grand Rapids to Dutch immigrant parents, William (Wietze) and Jennie (Jantje Bierling) Dupon, on February 7, 1922. He had four older siblings (Lincoln, Angeline, Theresa, and Reinder), and two younger ones (Dan and William, Jr.). Ernie was especially close to his brother, Dan, and Jennie often worried that mischievous Ernie would lead Dan into trouble. She feared that her apprehensions had been realized one day when Ernie came running home, sobbing, “I just shot Danny in the head with an arrow, and I think I might have killed him!” As Ernie led the way, Jennie ran breathlessly behind him. She was relieved to find Dan with only a cut on his forehead, but otherwise fine. The brothers remained the best of friends.

As a boy, Ernie was fascinated by anything mechanical. He loved to take things apart to see how they worked. Sometimes he even put them back together! Unfortunately, one of the objects of his disassembly line was a brand-new Christmas toy from his parents, received earlier that day. Ernie didn’t really understand why they were so upset.

Growing up, Ernie attended Grandville Avenue Christian Reformed Church and Godwin High School. His enthusiasm for learning about mechanical processes did not, sad to say, motivate him in school. Ernie regarded much academic work as pointless, if not downright irritating. His future wife, Gladys Granstrom, a Godwin classmate, often remarked that her most vivid memory of Ernie from those years was the sight of him storming out of a classroom.

Ernie loved all kinds of sports, especially baseball. He and Dan played together, with Dan pitching and Ernie catching. Ernie longed to join the baseball team at school, but his father needed him to work in the family bakery. When his father vetoed joining the team, Ernie decided that he was done with school. One day during Ernie’s senior year (1939-40), he returned home and informed his parents that he was quitting school for a job in the optical industry.

When the United States entered World War II, Ernie immediately tried to enlist. He was crushed to be classified 4-F due to a “heart murmur” (atrial fibrillation). Ernie was deeply disappointed, but there was nothing to do except continue in the working world.

After working for two or three years in Grand Rapids, Ernie headed for California, where he took a job as an optician. Imagine his surprise when he was walking down the streets of LA with a friend and spotted Gladys Granstrom, a Godwin classmate! (Ernie later claimed that he recognized her shapely figure from behind.) Ernie and Gladys had lunch together, but nothing further developed at that time.

Ernie continued exploring the west, living for a time with relatives in the State of Washington. Eventually Ernie returned to Grand Rapids and took a job with Johnson Optical, a business where Gladys had worked years earlier. In the fall of 1946, his employer, hearing that Gladys was back in town, asked Ernie to call Gladys to see whether she was interested in returning to work at Johnson.

Soon after Ernie and Gladys began working together, he asked her on a date, and serious romance bloomed quickly. In early 1947, Gladys moved to Detroit to live with her sister, Marg, and Ernie relocated to Detroit at the same time. Ernie and Gladys were married on May 3, 1947, in a simple ceremony before a Justice of the Peace. By that time, Ernie had added a “t” to the end of his surname, so they became Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Dupont.

Four years later, Ernie and Gladys were delighted to welcome their first child, Deborah Alice, into the world. Immediately after Deborah was born, the family moved back to Grand Rapids, and soon thereafter, Ernie and Gladys purchased her father’s home on Division Avenue in Byron Center. Three years after Deborah’s birth, daughter Dawn Maureen joined the family.

The family home was an old farmhouse in dire need of modernization. It still had an outhouse! Of necessity, Ernie put his mechanical talents to work by teaching himself construction, electrical, and plumbing skills. Ernie was always making changes to the house, and he developed considerable expertise in remodeling. Ernie loved animals, so there usually was at least one pet in their household.

Ernie, Gladys, and the girls joined Corinth Reformed Church, where Ernie became a leader. He served as a deacon, an elder, a catechism and Sunday School teacher, and he and Gladys led the church youth group. Ernie also poured his heart and talents into many special projects, such as meticulously planning an elaborate mission conference.

Ernie continued to love sports. He enjoyed playing golf and slow-pitch softball, and he coached a young men’s community baseball team. On Saturdays, he would get up at 4 a.m. to go golfing with his close friend, Frank Stuitje, and other buddies. When he returned home, Ernie took a short nap, and then the family spent several hours working together on household chores.

Going out to eat was a special treat for Ernie and Gladys, and they went to a nice restaurant every few months with their close friends, the Stuitjes (Frank and Mae) and the Terpstras (Pat and Lee). Ernie and Gladys cherished their friendships with the other two couples, and the three families spent a great deal of time together.

Music was a central focus of the Dupont family. The family spent many happy Sunday afternoon drives singing together. Ernie’s rich baritone blended beautifully with Gladys’s sweet soprano, and the girls joined in harmony. Ernie and Gladys loved gospel music, and they often took the girls to gospel music concerts.

Ernie, Gladys, and their daughters made many family outings, especially to area lakes. They often took trips to Gun Lake to visit Ernie’s brothers, Dan and Lincoln, whose families had cottages on the lake. Ernie loved to water ski, and Dan would drive his speedboat while Ernie skied and Gladys, Barb (Dan’s wife), and the girls rode along. In the late 1970s, Ernie and Gladys bought a cabin cruiser, and for a couple of summers they lived on the boat, which was docked at Lake Macatawa.

Ernie pursued a successful career as an optician for nearly 60 years. He worked for two ophthamologists, Drs. Laird and Gilbert, in the 1950s and 1960s, before starting Lakeshore Opticians (1966) and Cherry Opticians (1969). For several years, Ernie ran Cherry Opticians while Lakeshore was run by a partner. After Cherry Opticians closed, Ernie began working at Lakeshore.

Ernie and Gladys sold their Byron Center home to their daughter and son-in-law, Dawn and Bill, in the early 1980s. In 1986, Ernie and Gladys bought a tiny cottage on Morrison Lake in Saranac, where they made many dear friends and cruised happily around the lake in their speedboat. Ernie gradually decreased his hours at Lakeshore, eventually selling the business to his partner. In his “spare time,” Ernie transformed their little cottage into a much larger, modern home.

In 2000, at ages 78 and 77, Ernie and Gladys decided that the time for full retirement had arrived. They sold the house on Morrison Lake and bought a condo in Jenison. During the next few years, Ernie and Gladys made several extended trips to visit their daughter, Deborah, and granddaughters, Liana and Amara, in Washington, D.C. In 2005, Ernie and Gladys sold their home in Jenison and moved into a condo in Spring Lake, closer to Dawn, Bill, and granddaughter Alex (Alexandra). Living in Spring Lake allowed Ernie and Gladys to make many trips to Lake Michigan, and they loved driving to various beaches or walking on the pier.

Sadly, age began to catch up with Ernie and Gladys. Ernie developed dementia, and Gladys began losing weight and growing steadily weaker. Ernie and Gladys celebrated their 64th anniversary on May 3, 2011, but there would be no 65th anniversary. Gladys passed away on June 7, 2011, after a short illness.

Following Gladys’s death, Ernie moved into Grand Pines Assisted Living Center, where he endeared himself to fellow residents and the center staff members. Ernie was desolate at the loss of his beloved wife, but he socialized at meals and made new friends.

In late April 2012, Ernie became very weak and soon was unable to walk unassisted. The Grand Pines staff went far beyond the call of duty, caring for Ernie with great love and compassion. The family is deeply grateful to the nurses, aides, and other staff members who cared for and visited Ernie after he became bedridden. The family is especially grateful to Michelle, Amanda, Angela, Tammy, Cristine, Alida, Lauren, Ashley, Brandon, Gloria, Dave, Muhammed, Sam, and others who visited Ernie (and especially to those who held his hand and told him that they loved him). Eve, the hospice nurse, and Tasha, the hospice aide, also were extremely kind and caring in Ernie’s final weeks.

Ernie passed away on Father’s Day, which seems fitting, because he was an awesome father. He was truly one of a kind, and he will be deeply missed by those he leaves behind: two daughters, Deborah Dupont (Washington, DC) and Dawn Dupont (Grand Haven); a son-in-law, William Fettis (Grand Haven); three granddaughters, Alexandra Fettis (Grand Haven), Liana Kutos (Washington, DC), and Amara Kutos (Washington, DC); one brother, Dan Dupon (Grand Rapids); a sister-in-law, Caroline Dupon (Florida); numerous nieces and nephews, and many long-time friends.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations in Ernie’s memory be made to the Clean Water Project Mission Fund, Covenant Life Church, Grand Haven, Michigan.