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Lois Ritzema

December 27, 1925 - June 26, 2022
Grand Rapids, MI

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Visitation

Thursday, July 7, 2022
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes
Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel
2120 Lake Michigan Dr., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 453-8263
Driving Directions

Visitation

Friday, July 8, 2022
9:30 AM EDT
LaGrave Avenue CRC
107 LaGrave Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Web Site

Service

Friday, July 8, 2022
10:30 AM EDT
LaGrave Avenue CRC
107 LaGrave Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Web Site

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Henry Beets Mission Society
107 LaGrave Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Web Site

Crossroads Prison Ministry
2480 44th St SE
Kentwood, MI 49512
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ball Park Floral
8 Valley Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 459-3409
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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Lois Ritzema lived a blessed life as a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to many. A loving homemaker and caregiver, she lived her life serving others. She died on June 26, 2022 at age 96. Known for her firm determination and deep faith, Lois will be deeply missed and warmly remembered by all who knew and loved her.

The Roaring Twenties was a period of jazz music, the automobile boom, as well as large-scale industrial growth which brought about significant changes. During a time in history that was filled with feelings of hope and independence, Richard and Johanna (VanOeveren) Dekker welcomed home their newborn baby girl, Lois Ruth, on December 27, 1925, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born the youngest of three girls following her sisters, Marian and Joan, her birth brought joy and happiness to her loving family.

Growing up on Alger Street on the southeast side of town, Lois had a happy childhood filled with memories. She and her sisters remained close throughout their growing years and spent time swimming and ice skating at Reed’s Lake. Her father worked at the United States Post Office and later sold real estate while their mother was a homemaker. They were proud to raise their family in the Christian faith and attended Burton Heights Christian Reformed Church. When it came to studies, Lois thrived at Seymour Christian School as the class president and valedictorian through ninth grade. She met her high school sweetheart, James Ritzema, in music class at Grand Rapids Christian High School. The two of them hit it off right from the start and music was a mutual passion for them throughout their lives. Lois especially enjoyed classical music and sacred hymns, including the organ music at their church, LaGrave CRC. After graduation, James was drafted during WWII and served in Europe. Lois wrote many letters that James saved over the years. Before deploying, they had developed a secret code for James to use signifying that he was being ordered to a different location in the European theater – the word Tuffy, a reference to Lois’ dog, something that would not be edited by the mail sensors. During his time away, Lois worked at Ritzema’s Department Store owned by his parents. Although it was a challenging time, their love for one another never wavered.

Thankfully the war ended and James was able to return home to marry Lois on May 28, 1946, at Burton Heights Christian Reformed Church. The newlyweds enjoyed a honeymoon in the windy city of Chicago. Along with their romantic time on the trip, a highlight was Lois eating her first restaurant meal at a Woolworth’s lunch counter. Eager to settle down, she and James made their first home in the apartment above James’ parent's home on Turner Street. Here, they welcomed their firstborn son, Bob, in 1948. Later, they moved to their first house on Parkhurst Avenue NW where their daughter, Mary, was born in 1951. When Mary was only one year old, Lois developed Polio. A fierce fighter, she battled through and recovered. In 1955, they purchased their current home on Parmelee where they remained throughout the years. In 1956, she and James developed a very special relationship with Gaza and Matilda Gyene and their family, who had come to the area as refugees from Hungary. They shared lots of time with them and remained friends for many years. Their son, Thom, arrived in 1958 completing their family. The best decision they ever made was putting in an in-ground swimming pool that became a popular gathering place for many years for family, friends, and neighbors. Lois was an excellent hostess to all who came to swim and socialize.

Lois took her role as a mother very seriously. She was always there to greet the kids when they returned home from school and worked as a volunteer for many of their school events. She and James hosted large Christmas Eve celebrations where Lois planned for months all of the details including special surprises in each of the stockings. She handmade a Christmas stocking for each new added family member as the family grew. As a family, they cherished their years renting a cottage on Spider Lake near Traverse City for two weeks in the summer. They also enjoyed Big Star Lake until 1990 when they purchased some property in Pentwater across the street from Lake Michigan and built a cottage there. The family shared many special memories there.

James and Lois were social by nature. Their lives were always busy and Lois kept active planning adventures well into their later years. They traveled to Europe on five occasions with friends. When they weren’t overseas, they traveled extensively throughout the United States. Lois and Jim co-led the seniors group at LaGrave CRC, and Lois, ever the consummate organizer, planned group trips down to the minute! A nature lover, Lois often stopped to admire, as James photographed, the scenery especially flower gardens which she believed were God’s handiwork. She and daughter Mary went for regular wildflower hikes at Aman Park, and she enjoyed gardening in her yard. Lois was an avid reader, and she and James participated in a book club with friends for four decades. As a grandmother, she loved spending quality time with the grandchildren. They often had sleepovers and enjoyed swimming as well as large get-togethers at hotels. Lois lit up when the family came to visit.

Determined and courageous even when she suffered a stroke, Lois received rehabilitation and recovered to support her husband, James. She was his main caregiver as he deteriorated mentally and physically until his death in 2014. As a widow, she devoted herself to friendships, reading, and prayer. She prayed fervently for her grandchildren--that they flourish and, more than anything, that each would develop a close relationship with God. Nearing the end of life, she developed a number of chronic and disabling medical conditions. She faced these with fortitude, persisting even when things seemed overwhelming. She exemplified faith and courage during those years. As she had hoped, she was able to remain at home until finally dying peacefully in her sleep.

Lois' loving and generous ways will surely be missed by her loved ones. Whenever praised for these qualities, she would deflect attention from herself to God, to whom she thought all credit should be given. She took the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism as a summary of what God had done for her, so much so that even in her last week of life she shared that passage with her caregiver. The question and answer read as follows:

Question: What is your only comfort in life and in death? Answer: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Remaining to remember Lois are her children; Robert, Mary VanderWerp (James), and Thom (Jan), 8 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and numerous friends. She was predeceased by her husband and best friend, James, and sisters; Marian (Bill) Joling and Joan (Elmer) Bosch. The family will receive visitors Thursday, July 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW. A memorial service preceded by a one-hour visitation will be held at LaGrave CRC on July 8 at 10:30 a.m., Rev. John Steigenga presiding. Interment will be at Ft. Custer National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Henry Beets Mission Society at LaGrave or Crossroads Prison Ministry.

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