Marian Balk

People often consider themselves blessed by the many events in their lives – sharing love with a spouse, caring for children, spoiling grandchildren, experiencing new adventures every day. Marian Balk was one of these special people. Through her warmth and generosity, she exemplified the wonderful things that a wife, mother and grandmother should be.

Under the leadership of President Warren Harding, America entered into the 1920s with confidence. The politics of the time were turbulent as ever, yet industry had made the U.S. economy surge. The decade would be forever remembered for its carefree and decadent flavor.

Isaac and Mina (Dekker) Vlug were far removed from these things that characterized the 1920s. They lived a modest life in Maple Lake, Minnesota with their six children. On February 1, 1922, the couple welcomed the birth of their seventh child, a daughter they named Marian Jane. For a long while, Marian was simply called the “seventh child” because her parents were undecided about her name. Eventually, the whole family decided upon Marian Jane, which she later happily agreed to take as her name. Being the youngest, Marian had many babysitters to watch over her, many playmates to keep her busy and many hearts full of love for her. Her parents were both very loving and god-fearing people, and instilled these strong values into their children.

Marian was still little when her family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. They settled on the west side of town, where Marian attended a one-room schoolhouse until moving on to Union High School. Like many young girls of the time, she soon left school to work full-time to help support her family. Her first job was at National Brass, where she worked for several years.

Marian first met her husband-to-be, Donald Balk, at the Bradford Street Mission, where they attended Sunday school classes. It wasn’t until some time later when their paths crossed again at the local skating rink, that Donald and Marian really took notice of each other. They soon began dating, however, because they lived on opposite sides of the river and neither had a car, they walked some distance to be together. But love knows no distance – and soon the two were head over heels in love and happily married on March 12, 1942. Shortly after marrying, Donald followed the same patriotic calling of other young men of the time, and joined the military to serve his country during World War II. Meanwhile, Marian did her part back home, working to help the war efforts.

Soon after Donald returned home from the war, he and Marian filled their home with the joy and laughter of two wonderful children: Ronald and Marilyn. Once the children arrived, she left her job to devote herself to the role of a mother and homemaker. Marian kept a clean and welcoming home, and was a wonderful hostess and cook. Whenever they had visitors stop by, she always threw something together for them to eat, like crackers and spiced cheese and cookies. Marian was one of those fabulous cooks who never needed to measure anything, and everything came out just delicious. The family eventually moved to a home on Escott NW, where they resided for the next 58 years. No matter where they lived, Marian and Donald remained longtime members of the Seventh Reformed Church.

When it came to vacations, the family enjoyed going camping, though on some occasions they stayed in a hotel so the kids could enjoy the pool. In later years, they had a cottage on Bass Lake near Pentwater, which Marian also kept in tip-top shape, but also found time for much relaxation. As Marian grew older, she was blessed with six grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren, all of whom she loved dearly. She loved it when a new grandbaby arrived and she could cuddle and snuggle and love on them; she had this natural way of soothing just about any baby. Marian was absolutely thrilled when she could spend time with her grandkids.

In their retirement years, Marian and Don began to travel more extensively, including taking a trip back to the Netherlands, and traveling around the states with their family. At home, Marian had several hobbies to keep her busy. She loved to bird watch and with binoculars and bird book in hand, she could identify most visitors to her feeder. In general, Marian had a soft spot for most animals, including the pesky raccoons everyone else chased away. Over the years, she had several dogs and a couple of parakeets (all named Timmy), which she taught to speak. In her quieter moments, Marian liked to keep her hands busy knitting afghans, sweaters, bonnets, caps for newborns in the hospital and slippers, most of which she gave away as gifts. She also loved to do crossword puzzles to keep her mind sharp. No matter what she was doing, Marian always had the radio on WFUR for background music; she naturally loved the old hymns. Although Marian was pretty shy and reserved around strangers, she could talk up a storm with people she knew. She had such a great memory that she could converse on so many levels, and she was never afraid to state her opinion, though she never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings.

Marian was in her 40s when her joints began to fail, though she never complained about the pain. She had several surgeries over the years, each relieving some of the pain, but in the end it slowly took a toll on her overall health. Donald tenderly cared for Marian in their home. At the age of 86, Marian passed away peacefully into the loving arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, September 14, 2008. She will be dearly missed.

Marian was preceded in death by her parents, Isaac and Mina Vlug; sisters, Weselina DeRoos and Alida Babb; brothers, Dirk and Peter Vlug; and son-in-law, Jim Heyboer. Marian is survived by her loving husband of 66 years, Donald; son, Ronald (Joann); daughter, Marilyn; grandchildren: Scott (Angie), Michelle (Andres), Jeff (Holly), David (Lisa), Christie (Stuart), and Amanda (Adam); 18 great grandchildren; sister, Gertrude Mackie; sister-in-law, Angie Vlug; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bill and Peg Koster.

Marian was a member of Seventh Reformed Church, where the funeral service will be held on Wednesday, September 17, at 11 a.m. with her dear friend and pastor, Rev. Bill Fennema, officiating. Interment will be in Washington Park Memorial Gardens. Relatives and friends may visit with her family at the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home – Van’t Hof Chapel, 851 Leonard NW, Grand Rapids, on Tuesday, September 16, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to Seventh Reformed Church. Please visit Marian’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory with her family or sign her online guest book.