Harrietta van Oosten

Mrs. Harrietta J. van Oosten was a faithful wife and mother who loved her children with all of her heart. Always putting the needs of her kids before her own, she made sure that they were well taken care of.

In 1916 the United States was deep in the trenches of World War I. While soldiers were fighting for our nation overseas, Americans on the home front tried to forget the sorrows of war by attending films featuring Charlie Chaplin. Meanwhile, the esteemed scientist Albert Einstein was making headlines with his work in relativity, and words like “atom” and “molecule” became household terms. For one couple in Grand Rapids, Michigan 1916 was a particularly memorable year, as the Warmels family welcomed their daughter Harrietta J. into their family on September 8th of that same year.

Harrietta was the second child in a family that would soon grow to include three. Growing up, Harrietta, her older brother Ben and her younger brother Harold lived near Burton Junior High School. Born on the cusp of The Great Depression, Harrietta and her family faced many challenges during her childhood. Though her father built a nice new home, he was forced to leave his job due to health problems; because of the unfortunate circumstances, the family lost their home in the Depression.

In order to help the family, Harrietta and her younger brother worked outside of the home to help stipend the family income. Although working outside the home was difficult as a young girl, Harrietta enjoyed her various jobs, and especially liked working for the libraries. While in school, she worked at both Burton Junior High library and at a library on the west side of town. Her favorite activity was story time at the public library. Each afternoon she would sit on a stool and read stories to the children that gathered around her.

Sadly, the Warmels family would face tragedy again. When Harrietta was only a teenager, her father passed away. Despite the difficult times, Harrietta remained dedicated to her education. At a time when many young women were leaving school after the eighth grade, she continued her education and graduated from South High School, where she attended with the eventual President Gerald Ford. Following graduation, she became engaged. Tragically, her fiancé died in a car accident the night before the wedding. With a silent strength, Harrietta was able to move on, despite the heartache. A few years later, Harrietta went on a blind date with a man named Stephen A. van Oosten. Although he was ten years older, the couple fell in love and was married when she was 21 years old. When Harrietta married Steven, she gained more than a husband; she gained a family. Steven had a son, Dennis, from a previous marriage and Harrietta became an instant mother to him, which she loved! The new family started a home together, and a number of years later, they welcomed a son named Roger. Harrietta loved her life as a wife and mother. Her sons meant the world to her.

After Harrietta was married, she began working at the YMCA. Although she started as a switchboard operator, because of her strong work ethic, she became the bookkeeper. Growing up, math was never Harrietta’s favorite subject, but she spent many years at the YMCA, and eventually began keeping all the records for all of the branches. Harrietta worked at the YMCA for nearly forty years, and she was very proud of her time there. Over the years, she had developed her own little family at work. For many years, her husband even worked with her! Though Harrietta moved frequently while Roger was young, she knew that she always had a job waiting for her whenever she returned to Grand Rapids, because she was such a good employee. In her later years, when letters of recommendation were needed for former employees, she was often consulted because she knew so many of the workers for so many years.

An intelligent and adaptable woman, Harrietta even continued working after computers were introduced. However, when Harrietta turned seventy, she was forced into retirement. Harrietta tried to continue working for as long as possible, and even hid her seventieth birthday from her fellow employees in order to continue working. However, people shortly caught on and made her retire.

Although Harrietta worked at the YMCA for nearly forty years, her time working was interrupted by her family’s frequent moves. Because of the lack of good carpentry work for Steve, as well as her severe sinus problems, the family moved from Florida to Montana and back to Michigan several times. In fact, by the time Roger was in the eighth grade, he had attended nine schools. Despite her many travels, Harrietta always considered Grand Rapids to be her home. She enjoyed the changing seasons and the beauty of the state. She also loved that her family and grandchildren lived near by.

In 1956 Harrietta and Steve moved into their home on the northeast side of Grand Rapids. Together, the couple would spend the rest of their married life in that home. Sadly, by the early 1970s, Steven’s health began to slowly decline. As he became less energetic, she slowly began taking over more of the responsibilities. In 1972 he passed away. Though Harrietta was sad and lonely after her husband’s passing, she decided that she would never marry again, because she had the best husband the first time.

After Stephen’s passing, Harrietta kept busy doing the things she enjoyed. For most of her life, her favorite thing to do was read, usually while smoking. From early on in her life, she would get books from the public library for her and Steve to read. They would often sit together and read, sharing the good points with each other, and then exchanging the books for more. She was an avid reader, and after she retired she would frequently read a book every two days. Although her favorite books were historical romance novels, she enjoyed all kinds of fiction. After Harrietta finished a book, she would often remember everything she read. As she aged and her memory began to fail, she would fill notebooks with names and authors of the books she had enjoyed. On the rare occasions when she wasn’t reading, Harrieta enjoyed watching television, particularly game shows, adventure shows, and movies. Many times, however, she would enjoy sitting on her porch and watching the people pass by.

Although Harrietta was an independent woman, she was not comfortable driving a car. Harrietta quit driving after her early 30’s, and instead walked to work every day, and to church on Sundays. A faithful member of Bethany Reformed Church, Harrietta walked to every service until the congregation disassembled. Though she didn’t drive, Harrietta did love to travel. Aside from occasional vacations in Florida, traveling abroad was never something that Steve wanted to do, so she enjoyed going on tours with friends and relatives to Europe, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. She enjoyed the idea of taking tours, because she loved having someone else plan the vacation.

Harrietta’s independence allowed her to live in her own home on the northeast side of Grand Rapids for many years. Living on her own suited her well. She enjoyed a simple life and never troubled herself too much with housekeeping. She did not mind a bit of dust, and preferred eating out to cooking; she especially loved going out with her friends and family. However, her favorite treat was visiting Old Country Buffet with her granddaughter Debra. As Harrietta’s health began to deteriorate, she eventually made the decision to move in with her granddaughter and great granddaughter. Together, Debra, Andrea and Dale Ploeg cared for Harrietta during the final five years of her life.

After 87 years of a life filled with love and family, Harrietta passed away on August 24, 2004. She was preceded in death by her husband Steve, her son Dennis and her brother Ben. Harrietta is survived by her son and daughters-in-law Roger (Janet) van Oosten of Chicago and Barb Van Oosten; grandchildren Debra Mullennix, Mike (Carol) Van Oosten, Sue (Dave) Niedzwiecki, Jim (Ann) Van Oosten and Bob Van Oosten; other grandchildren of many generations; and her brother Harold (Marie) Warmels along with several nieces and nephews. A service to celebrate the life of Harrietta will be held on Saturday at 11 AM at Van Strien-Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield NE where relatives and friends are invited to meet with her family from 10 AM until the time of the service. For those who wish, memorial contributions to either the World Service of the YMCA or to the Grand Rapids Public Library are appreciated. To read Harrietta’s life story, share a favorite memory, send flowers or make a memorial contribution, please visit www.lifestorynet.com

Although Harrietta was not a very outgoing woman, she certainly enjoyed good company and good conversation. An interesting and intelligent woman, she told excellent stories about the books she had read and the things she had experienced in her life. With her caring heart and warm smile, she was loved by all who knew her. Her granddaughter and great granddaughter stated that with Harrietta’s passing they are not just losing a grandmother, but also a friend.