Frederick Hollebeek

It would be fair to say Fred Hollebeek lived a life of service. Through unending faith, he was devoted to his church, volunteered his time and talents, and ministered to the grief stricken. When it came to his family, Fred created wonderful memories which continue to be treasured. He was a man who held strong to his beliefs, and through his servant’s heart, he touched the lives of many.

By 1919 the end of World War I marked times of great change in America. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States at a time when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was established, prohibiting the sale of alcohol anywhere in the U.S. The dial telephone was introduced, and the pogo stick was the favorite of neighborhood children everywhere. Nestled in the small farming community of Sanborn located northeast of Sioux City, Iowa, Rev. Dirk and Anna (Aue’) Hollebeek had much for which to be thankful as they celebrated the birth of their son, Frederick Herman Hollebeek on August 8, 1919.

Fred’s father was of Frisian descent and his mother’s ancestors were French Huguenots who were persecuted out of France to Belgium and the Netherlands. Born at home in the parsonage of the Christian Reformed Church in Sanborn where his father served as pastor, young Fred was well over a ten pound bundle of boy. Given the unbearable summers in Iowa, his mother surely must have had a time of it. The second son and fourth child, Fred joined his older siblings, Florence, Suzanne, and John, and later welcomed younger siblings, Dorothy, twins Dick and Joanne, and Eleanor.

Across the street from the church and their parsonage was the local Christian school and horse barn. In the days of his youth, most traveled by horse and buggy, or by horse-drawn bobsled in the cold months of winter. For families traveling to church, the children often bedded down with straw and hot bricks, and covered themselves with large buffalo or cattle hides to keep warm on the trek into town. They brought food, and ate in the church basement between the morning and afternoon services. Following the services, they would again head for home to complete the evening farm chores.

From his earliest years, Fred proved to be a little stubborn and feisty. When he began first grade at the Christian school across the street, he soon found his share of trouble. When sent to sit in a corner, he had to wear a dunce hat, and hold a picture of a monkey. After repeatedly throwing off the hat, Fred was sent to the principal’s office and promptly locked in the coal bin. When his mother heard his screaming, she proceeded to free him, along with some strong words for the principal. Fortunately for Fred, they soon moved to Pella, Iowa where he enjoyed his new teacher and school.

The parsonage in Pella was much more spacious for their large family. It also had a two stall garage which the Hollebeeks used to keep goats and rabbits for milk and meat. During these Great Depression years, there was little extra to pay Fred’s father, the minister of the church who had ten mouths to feed. Groceries were thankfully purchased on a “tab”, and for several years, even after leaving Pella, Fred’s father continued to send payments back to the grocer to clear his account. It was during their time in Pella Fred lost sight in his right eye due to a snowball accident, and also experienced the death of his youngest sibling, Eleanor, who sadly succumbed to pneumonia before she was two years old.

The early 1940s found Fred in Grand Rapids, Michigan working for the Van’t Hof Funeral Home on Leonard NW for $12.00 a week. Although Fred and Dorothy "Dot" Krikke both attended Alpine Avenue Christian Reformed Church, they did not seem to take notice of each other until later. Part of Fred’s duties at the funeral home was doing yard work, and one day, while out in the yard, a shiny new Buick pulled up to the curb. Dot was driving her mother to area shops and as Dorothy waited, Fred struck up a conversation with this young woman he came to know and love. He always remembered how embarrassed she was as she was dressed in old clothes for housecleaning. Even though he wanted to, Fred did not ask Dorothy out on a date because after paying room and board, he only had two dollars in his pocket!

Before long, the opportunity Fred had been waiting for to see Dorothy came about when he received an invitation to a dinner at church for all the Sunday school teachers. And the RSVP was directed to Dorothy. He called, and agreed to go under the condition that she attend with him. On the appointed evening, Dorothy arrived in her father’s new Buick to pick Fred up and they went on to church. After the dinner, she suggested a ride and handed Fred the keys. They enjoyed five dates together before Fred finally kissed her, and Dorothy’s mother had all but given up on him as a lost cause! Over the following months, they dated steadily, and soon found themselves in love.

Fred and Dorothy were married in Grand Rapids at Alpine CRC on September 24, 1943 while Fred was AWOL from the Army at Ft. Custer. Their honeymoon consisted of a few short days at the Warm Friend Hotel in nearby Holland with a borrowed car and gas ration stamps provided by his new father-in-law, Ted Krikke who bartered meat from his butcher shop for the extra stamps. With their honeymoon over, Fred returned to Ft. Custer where he awaited his orders to ship out. At the last minute, Fred and his company was diverted to Como, Mississippi to guard German prisoners. Dorothy eventually moved to be with her beloved Fred where they shared a house with another soldier and his wife for $45.00 a month. Later they moved to Carrierre, Mississippi to another prison camp.

When Fred was sent to Ft. Lewis, Washington, Dot followed and lived with Fred’s parents in Lynden, Washington. Fred was eventually sent overseas to the Philippines. While he was away, Dorothy gave birth to their first child, Mart, born in August of 1945, and it was a year before Fred even saw his son for the first time. Five years later in 1950 they were blessed with the birth of Lois, and Ruth completed their family in 1955.

Once home, Fred went on to pursue his funeral directors license at Worsham College in Chicago, Illinois under the GI Bill. He eventually purchased the Greenwood Funeral Home at Leonard and Powers NW, all while working in the construction trade to supplement the family income and provide for his growing family. Truly a “mom and pop operation”, Dorothy minded the phones when Fred was away. Long before cell phones, pagers or answering services, Fred was pretty much tied to the business. In fact Fred and Dot rarely attended church together because someone had to be available to answer the phone. Fred would attend in the morning, Dot in the evening and only the children would attend twice a Sunday! Vacations were short, and never far from home. However, great memories were shared on wonderful family picnics and times spent fishing. Fishing and boating became very relaxing for Fred and Dot, as well as their family. Several weeks each summer provided many fond memories as a family at Hess Lake near Newaygo where they rented a cottage.

With a servant’s heart, Fred devoted much of his time and talents to nonprofit organizations over the years. Whether his church, the Christian school or professional organizations, he was giving of his time, liberal with his opinions, and could be stubborn in his positions. Due to his flexible schedule, Fred was active in the lives of his children, following and supporting their many activities. He loved music, especially classical and sacred music particularly when the performance included daughter Ruth on the flute. He was less than enthusiastic about the "lower" musical genre such as country or pop. He sang in the church choir for many years, and in the Crusaders Quartet, singing gospel and sacred music at many area churches.

Fred was very active at Alpine Church. He served as the youngest elected elder at that time, serving many times after, as well. He taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, gave instruction to young people, including writing his own course curriculum resource, "Truth vs. Isms". He was active with West Side Christian School, serving on the board numerous times. He also served as president of Grand Rapids Christian High School and the Christian Rest Home. For many years he was involved on the Synodical Interim Committee of the Christian Reformed Church and had been elected president of Christian Schools International. To his credit, Fred also served as a board member and officer of the Michigan Funeral Director’s Association, serving as president in 1980. Fred’s son, Mart followed in his footsteps both as a funeral director and later as president of MFDA. And he was ever proud when his grandson, Matt also joined the firm as a licensed funeral director and now is a partner in the business.

Fred retired from full-time funeral service when he retired as president of MFDA. Although he continued to work part time, he and Dorothy enjoyed numerous trips with their travel trailer to Canada, around Lake Michigan and many trips to Florida. They eventually left their trailer in Nettles Island, Florida, making it their residence over the course of many winters.

For most of their married life, Fred and Dorothy made their home above a funeral home. They eventually purchased their first house in the 1970s, and in the 1990s they downsized to a condominium. In the early 2000s they moved to Edison Manor, and when Dorothy sadly passed away on May 21, 2008, Fred remained at the Manor until 2009 when he required more assistance. He transferred to the Christian Rest Home, adjacent to the Manor where he was able to enjoy his later years in relative comfort with the assistance they lovingly provided. He continued to enjoy reading, listening to music, smoking his cigars (usually within 10 feet of the "This is A Smoke Free Facility" sign at the rest home) and socializing with everyone until recently. In late May of 2015, Fred took a fall, fracturing his hip. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture, but was quickly overwhelmed by complications and died peacefully on June 2, 2015.

In all ways, Fred Hollebeek lived a life worthy of a faithful servant. He held fast to his faith, and never hesitated to minister heartfelt compassion towards others. He leaves a lasting legacy clearly evident in the heart of his family, and will be deeply missed and remembered fondly.

Frederick H. Hollebeek peacefully entered the arms of Jesus on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 after nearly 96 years here on earth. He was preceded by his wife, Dorothy; his siblings, Florence Hollebeek, Sue Bajema, John Hollebeek, Dorothy Hollebeek, Joanne Vander Hulst, Eleanor Hollebeek. He is survived by his children, Martin (Mary) Hollebeek, Lois (Kenneth) Schepel, Ruth (Gordon) Bylsma; grandchildren, Matt (Robin) Hollebeek, Dirk (Stacey) Hollebeek, Emily (Phil) Brechting, Rachel (Kory) DeHaan, Gerrik (Jayne) Schepel, Elizabeth Schepel, Orion (Esther) Bylsma, Whitney (Sam) Young, Quinn Bylsma and Bethany Smith; great-grandchildren, Jack, Avery, Kacie, Charlie Hollebeek; Aidan, Teddy, Olivia Hollebeek; Leighton, Ryland, Paxton, Tierney Brechting; Kendy, Reese, Delaney DeHaan; Brandon, Andrew, Will Schepel; Silas Young and Cazzie Bylsma. Also surviving are his brother, Dick (Ruth) Hollebeek; many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Fred will be held Monday, June 8, 2015, 11:00 AM at Heritage Lifestory Funeral Home, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW with interment in Greenwood Cemetery. Friends may meet his family on Sunday, 2-4 and 6-8 PM. The family wishes to thank the staff at the Christian Rest Home for their compassionate care for Fred these last five years and especially in these last weeks of his life. Memorial contributions to the Christian Rest Home Foundation, 1000 Edison NW 49504 or to the West Side Christian School Foundation, 955 Westend NW 49504 would be appreciated. To share a favorite memory or photo of Fred and to sign his online guestbook, please visit www.lifestorynet.com.