Bea Bement

To know Beatrice “Bea” Bement was to know love, strength, and grace in their truest form. Her life was a remarkable journey of devotion — to her family, to her faith, and to living each day with gratitude and joy.

Born on April 16, 1931, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Joseph and Johanna Welch, Bea grew up on the city’s west side with her brothers Don and Larry. Her father was a talented furniture craftsman who founded the Industrial Finishing Company, and her mother shared her artistic talent by painting custom designs on furniture. Bea inherited that same artistic gift, creating many beautiful paintings of her own. The family attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church, where Bea built the foundation of the faith that would serve her well throughout her entire life.

When Bea was just four years old, her family purchased a cottage on Diamond Lake in White Cloud. That cottage quickly became a beloved family treasure and the setting for decades of joy, including swimming, fishing, and sunsets on the water. Diamond Lake remained one of Bea’s favorite places throughout her entire life.

Bea attended St. Mary’s School and later graduated from Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids. As a teenager, she met Robert Gelderblom, Jr. at Diamond Lake. She was 16, and he was 19. The two became close friends, and that friendship grew into a deep and enduring love. They married on May 10, 1952, at St. Mary’s, surrounded by family and friends.

Together, Bea and Robert literally built their first home from the ground up, using a book titled How to Build a House for Under $4,500. There, they began raising their six children —Paul, Joann, Susie, Jeanne, Karen, and Janet — who quickly became the center of Bea’s world. Her brother Larry and his children, Sherry, Linda, Cindy, and Gary Joe, also came to live with them for a time, and Bea cared for them as if they were her own. All her nieces and nephews affectionately called her “Auntie” because she said that “Aunt Bea” made her sound old. The nickname lived on with her great nieces and nephews, a cherished reflection of the love and humor she brought to her family.

In her thirties, Bea began balancing family life with her work as an administrative assistant at Meijer, a position she held for 17 years. Her incredible work ethic, warmth, and sense of humor made her dependable and highly respected by everyone she worked with, including Fred Meijer himself, who held her in high regard.

Bea’s life was marked by extraordinary love — and extraordinary resilience. When her husband, Robert, and four of their daughters developed Huntington’s Disease, Bea cared for each of them with tireless devotion and endless love. The disease touched so much of her life, but Bea never let it define her. What defined her was how she kept going, with faith, humor, gratitude, and a heart still open to joy.

After Robert’s passing, Bea was blessed to find love again with Milton Bement, whom she married on January 24, 1975. Together, they built a life full of adventure, traveling in their motorhome, fishing, hunting, golfing, and snowmobiling, and could often be found enjoying evenings playing cards with friends and knocking back some Kessler and Cokes. Bea and Milt also loved spending their winters in sunny Florida and their summers back at Diamond Lake. True to her nature, Bea always put family first, and she and Milt rarely missed their grandchildren’s sporting events.

During her marriage to Milton, Bea once again showed her quiet strength by caring for her mother in her later years. It was a different kind of caregiving, rooted in deep respect and the special bond they shared as mother and daughter, but it reflected the same steadfast devotion to family that had guided her throughout her life.

After Milton passed away, Bea continued her winter trips to Florida, enjoying the sunshine she loved and treasuring the time she spent with her son, Paul, his wife Deb, her daughter, Janet, and her husband, Bob. She also looked forward to yearly spring and fall vacations with Janet, her granddaughter Jolene, Jolene’s husband Chris, and her great-grandsons, JJ and Jack, with whom she shared a special bond. These trips were filled with cherished memories: card games and marbles, boat rides on the ocean, movie nights in the theater room, pickleball showdowns, and too many laughs to count.

Bea had many talents. She was a skilled piano player and singer, sharing her music with those around her. So many of us were lucky enough to be treated to her renditions of Bye-lo Bye-lo, A Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch, or You Are My Sunshine — songs that never failed to bring smiles. She was also a formidable Scrabble player; most people didn’t stand a chance. When she had a good word, she would sit there with a grin, clearly enjoying the moment. Bea truly found joy in everyday moments of life.

In her last few years, Bea was able to stay at the cottage where she had grown up, with the loving care of her niece, Cindy. Though she wasn’t very mobile, she never tired of watching the birds at her feeders or the sunsets over the lake — simple pleasures that always brought her joy. The squirrels also kept her both entertained and annoyed. If you drove by the cottage at just the right time, you could see her in action, squirt gun in hand, taking aim from her chair inside the house. Surrounded by these simple pleasures of her cottage and visits from loved ones, Bea lived out her days with the same joy and fierce spirit that made her life so unforgettable.

Bea’s story is one of remarkable strength and devotion. She endured hardships few could imagine, yet through it all, she lived fully, loved deeply, and left a legacy that will be cherished by everyone who knew her.

Beatrice Mae Bement, age 94, passed away peacefully on 10/17/2025. She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 16, 1931, to Joseph and Johanna Welch.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert Gelderblom, Jr.; her daughters Susan Gelderblom, Jeanne Gelderblom, Joann Gelderblom-Loomis, and Karen Gelderblom; her grandson Steven Gelderblom; and her brothers Donald Welch and Larry Welch; and her nephew Gary Joe.

She is survived by her son Paul Gelderblom (Debbie) and daughter Janet Czarnopys (Bob); her granddaughter Jolene Loomis (Christopher); several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including her two great-grandsons JJ andJack, with whom she shared a special bond; and many nieces and nephews who brought her joy throughout her life.

After Robert’s passing, she later married Milton Earl Bement, who also preceded her in death. She is survived by his children — Michael, Jeffery, Chris Ann, and Scott Bement — and their children, as well as his sister, nieces and nephews, who were a meaningful presence in her later years.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, October 25,2025 at 2 PM at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Drive NW. Friends may visit with family beginning at Noon. Interment will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

A heartfelt thank you goes to her niece Cindy Welch, whose loving care allowed her to remain at the cottage, where she found peace watching her beautiful sunsets on the lake. The family also wishes to thank Corewell Health Hospice for their compassionate support during her final month.

She will be remembered for her strength, kindness, and unwavering devotion to her family. Her legacy of love and remarkable resilience lives on in all who were blessed to know her.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.