Joseph Oele

Joe was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 24, 1917, to John & Katherine (Hoekstra) Oele, the third of four boys. His parents were recent immigrants from The Netherlands and life was not easy. Joe's mother was sickly most of her married life and much of the time the boys lived under the care of others. They were members of West Leonard Christian Reformed Church and the boys attended West Side Christian School. Although Joe's dad worked very hard at menial jobs and did his best to keep the family together under difficult circumstances, they were very poor.

Joe was very ambitious and saved enough money from his first regular job as a milk deliveryman to buy a 1936 Ford, the only new car in the neighborhood. Thus began an enjoyment of new cars that lasted a lifetime. He had a number of jobs during these early years: the dairy, a Sinclair gas station, factory work, driving a city bus, and helping at several local funeral homes. Much of his life he took on other jobs to earn extra money: washing and waxing cars, painting and cleaning buildings, even digging graves.

During an outing at Richmond Park, Joe, a "Westsider," met Sylvia J. De Jong, a "Southeastender." After dating her for a period of time, they married on June 4, 1940, beginning a family that would eventually consist of six children. They began their marriage as members of East Leonard Christian Reformed Church, living on Atwood NE, but transferred to Alpine Avenue Christian Reformed Church a few years later when Joe began working at Joldersma & Son Funeral Homes. They moved into an apartment at the West Leonard funeral chapel.

In 1950 they purchased a lot and built a home on Spring Avenue NE, changed their membership back to East Leonard Christian Reformed Church, and sent all six children to Creston Christian School. This home location was ideal for their growing family since the church was located at the south end of the block and the school at the north end. Then, when Mr. Joldersma died in 1956, Joe bought his funeral coach, limousine, and ambulance and started Oele Rental Service and Oele Ambulance Service, working first out of the Grandville Avenue funeral chapel and then a garage located on Godfrey SW. During the West Side Urban Renewal and the building of the US-131 freeway in the area between the Grand River and Turner Avenue, he built a garage and offices on Scribner NW for the two companies.

In 1966, he purchased the Van't Hof-DeMeester Funeral Home, located just a few doors west of where the Joldersma W. Leonard Street chapel had been. Joe, his eldest son Jerry, and Fred Hollebeek, who owned a funeral chapel five blocks further west on Leonard, began a merged operation called Hollebeek-Oele Mortuaries, Inc. His second son, Ron, joined the business in 1967 followed by his third son, Tim, in 1973. Even his daughters, Sandi, Barb, and Luanne, worked as secretaries for the funeral home. Joe served the West Leonard Business Association as treasurer and was also a board member of the West YMCA. He was an avid racquetball player at the YMCA, playing the game until well into his 70s. He also served on the boards of both the Downtown YMCA and the Grand Rapids Zoning Board of Appeals. In 1975 the partners purchased the Creston Mortuary on Plainfield Avenue NE, changing the corporate name to Hollebeek-Oele-Van Zee, Inc. That company would later become Heritage Funeral Service, Inc.

Joe and his wife enjoyed travel to many destinations around the world. When he officially retired in 1981, they continued traveling, and enjoyed spending more time with their children and grandchildren. Joe continued working on a part-time basis, taking great pleasure in all the business and personal relationships he had fostered over the years.

On September 10, 1995, Sylvia passed away, but he found a new partner in Wilma F. (Hunefeld) Goote, whom he married on September 5, 1997. It was ironic that Wilma's first husband, Bill, and Joe's wife, Sylvia, were in adjoining rooms at Kent Community Hospital before their deaths. Joe then sold the Spring Avenue home, transferred his church membership to Wilma's church, Westview Christian Reformed Church, and lived with her in two different Westside condos. They had several good years together, traveling and enjoying life, but in early 2002 Joe was diagnosed with Alzheimers and spent his last couple of years with Wilma lovingly caring for him in the Allendale Nursing Home.

Joe passed away on Saturday, November 8, 2003, and went to be with his Lord. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Sylvia, and his step-son, Ronald W. Goote.

Joe is survived by his wife, Wilma; six children and their spouses, Jerry and Trudy Oele, Ronald and Marlene Oele, Sandra and Lee Marshall, Timothy and Mary Oele, Barbara and Andy Van Ausdall, and Luanne and John Hoekzema; twenty-three grandchildren; fourteen great-grandchildren; his step-children, Suellen and Doug Korf; seven step grandchildren; nine step-great-grandchildren; his brothers and sisters-in-law, Adrian and Rose Oele, John and Genevieve Oele, and Richard and Dolores Oele; his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Peter and Pearl De Jong, Olive Chambery, Clarence and Lois Hunefeld, Anne and Ben Hankamp, and Gladys Holwerda; and many nieces and nephews.

Friends may meet his family at the Van't Hof Chapel, 851 Leonard Street NW, on Tuesday, November 11, from 2 to 4 PM and from 6 to 8 PM. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, November 12, at 2 PM at Westview Christian Reformed Church, 2929 Leonard Street NW, with his pastors, Rev. Roger Groenboom and Rev. Ronald Baker officiating. Private family committal services will be held at Rosedale Memorial Park. To read Joe's complete life story, share a memory, send flowers, or make a memorial contribution to the Memorial Fund of Westview Christian Reformed Church, Mississippi Christian Family Services, or the YMCA, please visit his personal webpage at www.lifestorynet.com.