Helen Terpstra

People who knew Helen Terpstra were blessed – by her unconditional love and her generosity of spirit. She was selfless, tender hearted and devout in her faith; she loved her family, her church and her Lord, faithfully serving in whatever ways she could. Her life was not marked by glitz or glamour, but instead she enjoyed the comforts of a simple and honest lifestyle surrounded by the love and laughter of her beloved family and friends. Those Helen leaves behind will consider themselves blessed for having been given such a wonderful woman to have been touched by.

Born in Fremont, Michigan on July 25, 1922, Helen was one of ten children born to George and Alice Schievink. The Schievink family moved several times, eventually making Kinney Road in Grand Rapids, Michigan their home. A bustling household, Helen was raised alongside her five sisters, Joanna, Evelyn, Gertrude, Arlene and Elaine, and four brothers, Harland, George Jr., John and William. Like many children of the time, she and her siblings only attended school through the 8th grade. Her father worked outside the home as a carpenter and trolley driver, which allowed her mother to focus on being a homemaker and mother of ten. With such a large family, money was always tight, but the Schievink family was close knit and held fast with the things money couldn’t buy. In the earlier years and with such a large family, the Thanksgiving holiday was usually spent using Zinser Elementary School. They later rented Standale Reformed Church where a feast was prepared and shared with three generations of Helen's family. For Christmas, the family gathered in the house on 8th Avenue, and after dinner, everyone anxiously awaited playing the gift exchange game – it really brought out the competitiveness of the family!

Helen met the love of her life, Peter Terpstra, at a youth group mixer. He was a hardworking young man, who worked as a delivery driver for Colonial Bakery, as well as picked up milk from local farms. It wasn’t long before the two were hopelessly in love and happily married on April 9, 1942. After saying “I do,” Peter and Helen settled into married life together in a farm house on 32nd and Hayes Streets, between Marne and Lamont. In time, they filled their home with the love and laughter of two children: Donna and Maurie, who brought them so much joy. Helen was a devoted wife and mother to her family, and created a home where love was always plentiful. She loved to cook, and some of her specialties included her cream puffs, popcorn balls for Halloween, salmon patties, meatloaf and scalloped potatoes, banana cream pies and Boston brown bread. If that didn’t keep her busy enough, she often helped Peter out at his hardware store in Lamont, and earned a few extra dollars cleaning a doctor’s house and office in Allendale, and babysitting.

For Helen, family was the greatest source of happiness in her life; however, church and music had its place too. Helen was raised in the Christian faith and attended Walker Christian Reformed Church as a young girl. Later, she and Peter joined the Lamont Christian Reformed Church after they married, and then they put down roots at Standale Reformed Church after moving to 8th Avenue. Helen was active in many of the ladies’ groups at church and helped in the nursery, as well. She always made sure Peter had some kind of baked good to take to church meetings, too. Being a woman of faith, it was only natural that Helen loved hymns and could usually be heard humming some of her favorites, like Blessed Assurance and Standing on the Promises. She also found great joy singing in the church choir and loved the hymns of WFUR. Helen was self-taught on the piano and pump organ and played everything by ear. Many evenings at home were filled with music as she played the piano and everyone sang along.

Life was good for Helen and Peter, full of hard work and fun, too. They were both diehard Detroit Tiger fans. Closer to home, they were avid followers of the Standale Reformed Church softball team and rarely missed a game; in fact, the team presented Helen and Peter with a plaque, thanking them for their loyal support and attendance. Traveling was also something they enjoyed, though didn’t do it too often. They took one trip to the Upper Peninsula and visited all the great tourist attractions along the way, including Tahquamenon Falls, Kitch-iti-Kipi springs, Paul Bunyan lookout and the Mystery Spot in St. Ignace. Helen especially enjoyed going to Mackinaw Island a few times with her daughter and grandkids. Nothing made Helen happier than spending time with her grandchildren.

Helen was also very close to her siblings, especially her sisters. They also spent time together with their families staying in cabins up north or at Big Whitefish Lake. For many years, Helen and her sisters met for breakfast every Tuesday at restaurants in Standale, though once they were having such a good time at McDonald's together, they were actually asked to leave! These wonderful memories were all treasures in Helen’s heart. One funny story included the time Helen watched Maurie and his family's pregnant dog, Nikki, while they vacationed. Helen was reassured that Nikki wouldn’t have her pups for several weeks, but it was anything but calm. They weren’t even gone a day before Helen called exasperated, informing Maurie that Nikki delivered three puppies. Good thing she had a great sense of humor!

After Helen lost her beloved husband Peter, she went to live at the Christian Rest Home and it didn’t take long before she was dearly loved by the staff. Helen was a plain and simple kind of gal, but when her sister Arlene brought her some colorful tops adorned with beads and rhinestones, she just loved all the compliments she received. Her daughter Donna bought her some sparkly beads to wear with the tops too, and Helen enjoyed planning her outfits every day. Helen and Donna took a mother/daughter shopping trip, and when Helen got back to the home, the staff asked if she had spent all her money. Helen simply replied, “No, I’m not broke, I’m badly bent.” While at Christian Rest Home, Helen was involved in many activities there. One time, while passing a beach ball back and forth, Helen retrieved the ball; but being a little sneaky, she pretended to pass it - forcefully. She instead hung on to it, causing the other resident to recoil to protect themselves, which Helen found to be quite funny.

Helen was truly a special lady, who always looked for ways to help others. Underneath her quick sense of humor and “real” outlook on life was a reservoir of strength which those around her came to depend on. Although she will be deeply missed, her legacy of love and dedication leaves her loved ones with wonderful memories and a strong foundation to look to for comfort.

Helen (Schievink) Terpstra, aged 91, of Grand Rapids, MI passed away on Saturday, June 7, 2014. She was preceded in death by her husband, Peter; grandson, Robert Chase; granddaughter, Kimberly Ann Terpstra; and siblings, Joanna, Evelyn, and Arlene Terpstra, and George Jr. and John Schievink. Helen is survived by her daughter, Donna Chase; son, Maurie (Pat) Terpstra; 5 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; brothers, Harland Schievink and William (Shirley) Schievink; sisters, Gertrude Dykstra and Elaine (Herman) DeVries; and many nieces and nephews. Helen was a long time member of Standale Reformed Church.

The Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 13, at Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW, where friends may visit with the family from 11a.m. – 1 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Christian Rest Home Foundation. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to read Helen’s life story, archive a memory, photo, or sign the guestbook online.