Margie Heeringa

Margie A. Meringa Goodale Heeringa was a sweet and gentle person who loved being at home with her family. Although her busy life did not afford her the time to create a large circle of friends, she was easy going and could strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

1918 was a historic year that will forever be remembered as the year that plunged the Allied Nations into war. Following the execution of the Russian czar and his family, the United States was forced to intervene in the civil war, thus denoting the beginning of World War I. Despite the uncertainty of war, for Benjamin Meringa and Hulda Carlson of Grand Rapids, Michigan there was reason to celebrate as their daughter Margie was born on April 13 of that same year.

Growing up as one of, and the last surviving, child in a family of thirteen, Margie was no stranger to hard work and economic uncertainty. As a child growing on the cusp of the Great Depression, Margie remembered her mother taking in ironing in order to make ends meet. As a young girl, she recalls spending many hours learning school lessons and Bible verses while sitting under the ironing board.

Following the birth of Margie’s youngest sibling, her mother passed away at the tender age of thirty-seven. Because her father never remarried, he was left to raise all thirteen children by himself. As is the case with many large families, the older ones took responsibility for the younger ones and everyone learned to care for each other. Since her father needed so much help around the house, Margie left school after the eighth grade to help with the family.

While Margie grew older, times became harder for her family. During the Depression they lost the family farm, and she remembered many times when supper consisted only of a piece of bread with bacon grease. In order to make extra money, the family would make food to sell at local fairs. Despite the extra income, however, the family barely had enough to get by, and Margie recalled waking up with snow on her quilt during the winter, because the family didn’t have enough firewood to heat the drafty house.

Although times were hard for Margie and her family, she still learned to have fun. From an early age, she began to love dancing, and continued to enjoy polkaing her entire life. When she was fourteen she met a young man named Robert Goodale. Together the couple would walk to local dances, and on the way back he would carry her home. After a night of dancing in high heels, Margie’s feet were so sore and tired she couldn’t walk! Robert never minded carrying Margie, and after a short time the couple fell in love.

Following a traditional courtship, the lovebirds wed when Margie was 18 and had their first daughter Loretta two years later. Though the family was very happy, tragedy struck and in 1953 Robert passed away leaving her with their three daughters, Lorretta, Barbara and Jean to care for. Luckily, Margie found love again in a man named Richard Heeringa. The couple was married in 1955 and his children Dale, Eileen, Pam, and David moved into the new family home as well.

While adjusting to the family life, the newlyweds, along with Margie’s three daughters, honeymooned in Florida. Only nine months following the honeymoon, another daughter Kathy was born into the Heeringa family. In total, Margie would raise eight children, and her brother’s son Rusty who came to live with the family after his parents died.

Despite the busyness associated with raising nine children, Margie still took time to enjoy the things she loved. In her younger days she enjoyed canning fruits and vegetables, which the family would live on throughout the year. Although she personally never learned to play any instruments, she loved listening to music, especially Country Western music and anything by Elvis Presley.

Because she always had such a large family, she never traveled much when the kids were young and only really traveled later when her adult daughters took her to places like Niagara Falls, the Upper Peninsula, and Memphis, TN. Throughout her travels, however, her favorite place on earth remained on her back porch at home, where she could look over the flowers she grew or watch the birds feeding in her backyard.

Throughout her life, Margie was never afforded many possessions and was instead taught to live “meagerly and simply.” However, she did find enjoyment in some of life’s simple pleasures. She loved fishing, playing poker, and rustic camping with her first husband in the early days and in her later years enjoyed playing bingo and working on jigsaw puzzles. She found a constant companion in her beloved dachshund “Duchess,” and though her favorite snack was beer and ice cream (not at the same time!), she was an excellent cook. Margie loved cooking chicken and throwing backyard barbeques. She welcomed anyone with an appetite and never required anyone to bring anything, except maybe a good joke, which Margie loved to listen to.

After 86 years filled with love, laughter, and family Margie passed away Tuesday, August 17, 2004. She was preceded in death by her husbands Robert Goodale and Richard Heeringa and sons Dale and David Heeringa. She was the last surviving child of a family of thirteen children. She is survived by her children Lorretta and Peter Van Zytveld, Jean and Robert Elenbaas, Barbara Swinburnson and Earl Combs, Kathy and Ray Kroft; her stepchildren Pam and Don Shaffer of Saranac, Eileen and Pat Schullo of Grand Rapids, daughter-in-law Carol Heeringa, 20 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren, 3 great great grandchildren and special friend Bill Burnett. Funeral services will be held Friday at 11AM at the Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. N.W. 49504 with interment in Rosedale Memorial Park. Friends may meet the family on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9PM. Memorial contributions may be made to Heartland Hospice, 500 Cascade West Parkway, Grand Rapids, MI., 49546. You may read Margie’s lifestory, leave a memory or make a contribution by visiting lifestorynet.com.

Margie will be remembered as a loving, caring, generous person who found great ease in making friends. After years of enjoying life with her family, she later made many new friends during her time at Luther Woods. She will be greatly missed.