Grace Hanenburg

What’s in a name? For Grace Hanenburg, her name simply said it all. She was a wonderful woman, a woman of powerful faith, deep compassion, limitless love and of course, incredible grace. She was a beloved wife, a loving mother, grandmother and friend, who devoted every day in her long life to the things that mattered most, her faith and her family.

Grace’s story began on a summer day in 1912, in the little town of Rudyard, Michigan, on the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula. Those were fascinating times in this country, which was undergoing dramatic change on the wheels and wings of the automobile and the airplane. On July 29, 1912, Gerrit and Sena (Bloemsma) Kamper underwent their own dramatic change, with the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they so appropriately named Grace.

Grace was born at their home on Tone Road, the eighth child born in a large family of 14 children. Her father was a hardworking farmer in the area, though heart problems caused him to soon change careers and he began selling Watkins products door-to-door.

Her dad’s new career caused them to move to New Era, Michigan, the company headquarters, when Grace was just a year and a half old. Grace remembered her dad being on the road all week, returning home to spend time with the family on Saturday and for Sunday church service, which was never missed.

The family attended the Christian Reformed Church faithfully, where Grace learned the fundamentals of her powerful faith she carried within her the rest of her life. She attended Catechism class there, yet being a shy little girl, never liked having to answer questions in class.

The family rented a variety of homes in New Era, and Grace would tell the tale of moving from one home soon after discovering it was infested with bed bugs!

Grace began school in New Era, and during the summers she and her siblings worked in the canning factory to earn extra money. She snipped beans for canning for hours on end, and the $100 the kids earned that summer paid for their new school clothes in the fall.

Eventually, the family packed up and moved back to Rudyard, taking the train north and then crossing the Straits of Mackinac by ferry. Grace finished her schooling in Rudyard, walking three miles each way and each day to Rudyard High School.

Sadly, her father died of his heart problems when Grace was a teenager, and she dropped out of school to help her mother around the home. She continued her Catechism classes, however, where she learned about true faith, and also true love.

One day a handsome young member of her church named John Folkersma offered to see her home from Catechism. A long walk later, and a love had bloomed. The young couple dated a year and a half, and was married at the church by Reverend John Hanenburg.

The newlyweds settled right there in Rudyard, and were soon blessed with two beautiful children, David and Sally. Grace was an amazing wife and mother, and was very supportive of each of them. The family farmed and the men hunted, and Grace and her daughter prepared the food each day.

And naturally, the Christian Reformed Church was the center of their lives. Grace was always very active at the church, and served in various capacities. The church was the center of their social life in the little town, as well.

In 1955, her husband wasn’t feeling well, and was soon diagnosed with cancer. John sadly died the following March, at just 46 years old.

Grace’s son David left college to return home and care for the farm, becoming the man of the family in many ways. Grace took John’s loss very hard, and had a hard time adjusting. But she soon found work at the Maple Lodge, a home for the elderly in the Soo, where she helped instill her Christian faith throughout its halls. She started as the cook there, and eventually ran the whole operation.

After three years at the lodge, Grace moved to Grand Rapids, to work at Pine Rest, becoming the Dormitory Housemother for student nurses. She then took over Pine Rest’s halfway house, for former patients on the road to recovery. There were many memorable experiences there, when Grace was called on to assist patients in their particular needs. She was the consummate helper, counselor and general friend to the people of the unit.

One day the phone rang at work, and on the other end was the Rev. John Hanenburg, from Rudyard. They talked awhile, and he soon visited some people at the hospital there. John was a widower himself, and he and Grace soon formed a surprising romance. It wasn’t long before John married Grace for the second time! Their wedding in 1970 was the start of a very special time for both of them.

Grace continued working at Pine Rest for a few more years until retiring, when she and John began taking many wonderful trips together, traveling all over the country. Sadly, John died in 1990, leaving Grace alone once again.

She moved in with her younger sisters in Grand Rapids for the next 10 years, until she moved to Holland Home in 2000. She started in independent living there, then assisted living, and eventually nursing care, as her health declined.

Grace died at Holland Home on Monday, August 6, 2007, at the age of 95.

Grace was a wonderful woman, who will be remembered as a hard working wife, mother and employee, who always wanted to show the mercy of the Lord in all her work. She was truly grateful for the Lord’s guidance in her life, and acknowledged Him in everything she did. Grace felt truly blessed by the Lord, just as we were so blessed to have known her. She will be greatly missed.

In addition to her husbands, she was preceded in death by her grandson Kenneth Pruiksma. Surviving are her children: David and Margaret Folkersma of Rudyard, Sally and George Pruiksma of Cutlerville; her step children: Irene Wiersma, James and Reta Hanenburg, Ted and Netty Hanenburg, Rich Hanenburg, Cathy and Cecil Holtrop; 8 grandchildren, her great grandchildren and great great grandchildren, and many step grandchildren, and their families; her sister, Thelma B. Kamper; her sister-in-law, Henrietta Kamper and several nieces and nephews. Funeral and committal services will be held Wednesday at 11 A.M. at the chapel of the Holland Home, Fulton Manor, 1450 E. Fulton, with interment to follow in Rudyard Township Cemetery, Rudyard, MI. Mrs. Hanenburg will repose at the Holland Home chapel and where relatives and friends may meet her family Wednesday from 10 A.M. until the time of the funeral service. For those who wish, memorial contributions to the Holland Home Foundation or to the Christian Reformed World Missions would be appreciated. To share a memory or sign the online register book, please visit www.lifestorynet.com.