Paul Bour

Paul Sandford Bour was a self-made man, whose talents ranged from sports to music. He created a successful business and enjoyed the recreation it offered. He was blessed by a large family that included his beloved wife and children and his faith community.

Paul was born on March 6, 1931 at St Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the 1930s, families throughout the nation struggled to survive the Great Depression, yet they managed to make life pleasant by their resilient spirit and hopeful outlook. One such family was Edward Bour and his wife Edith Ostenson, who worked hard to raise five children by his job as an electrical engineer for the railroad and her full time responsibilities home with Chuck, Paul, Rich, Mary and Stan. Growing from youth to adulthood, Paul seemed to inherit that same spirit of hard work and determination.

Paul attended Grand Rapids’ schools at Oakleigh Elementary School and Union High School, where he was active on the basketball and golf teams. That was the beginning of his lifelong love of sports, whether he was playing or watching. Over the years, he developed a passion for golf, fly fishing, watching sports on TV, and following all the Detroit teams — sometimes painfully, which was the mark of a true fan.

After graduating from Union High in 1949, Paul set out on a career of his own making. For the next 40 years, he worked for himself laying flooring and installing countertops. He was well established by the time he met and married Dolores in 1953. Like his birth family, Paul also had five children: Sharon, Gerald, Darrell, Robert and Jeff. When his marriage ended in divorce in 1972, Paul went through times of struggle in his relationships. Despite the difficulty at the time, he later wished he had remained closer to his family.

New joys in relationships and family came when Paul met Arlene in 1994 at his birthday party at the Holiday Inn in Spring Lake. The two dated for three years and were married July 19, 1997 on the lawn of Arlene’s son’s home in Hamilton. Paul moved to Zeeland into Arlene’s home on Summit View and inherited more family through Arlene’s three grown children: Dan, Jim and Rick Kammeraad. In 1995, they had also begun attending Central Wesleyan Church in Holland, and Paul was nurtured in faith through the community of believers there.

When Paul retired at age 62, he was able to spend more time doing the things he most enjoyed. As a member of the American Legion, having served two years in the Army Reserve, he liked to “visit” the various halls on the city’s West Side. He was talented in music, having played the trumpet and the trombone in his younger years, and he was particularly fond of big band music and sacred music in his later years. Paul also tended the flowers in his garden, especially roses, and he and Arlene traveled to Florida several times. They were on a “mission” to follow Tiger Woods in the golf tournaments he was playing. Paul himself was an avid player and had the career distinction of shooting, not one, but two holes-in one. On one such occasion, he was awarded the use of a new car.

A happier moment still, came in 2004 when Paul made a decision for Christ and was baptized at his home. By that time, he was already experiencing failing health due to emphysema, so he was less and less able to attend worship. Instead, he enjoyed having people come over to the house for a visit. Throughout his illness, Paul was generally upbeat and rarely complained about his struggles. He kept up his humor and remained the master of one-liners!

At the age of 77, after 14 years of living with emphysema, Paul S. Bour succumbed to the disease, but he went to be with his Lord on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

This man of strength, courage and faith will be missed by his loving family. They include his wife, Arlene, his children, Sharon and Rich Oom of Kentwood, Gerald Bour of Byron Center, Darrell Bour of Comstock Park, Robert Bour of Grand Rapids, Jeff and Marcia Bour of Walker; his step-children Dan and Kathy Kammeraad of Zeeland, Jim and Vicky Kammeraad of Zeeland, Rick and Pam Kammeraad of Holland, nine grandchildren, six step grandchildren, three step-great grandchildren. Also surviving are his siblings, Charles and Arlene Bour, Rich and Joyce Bour, all of Grand Rapids, Stan and Donna Bour of Thousand Oaks, CA, Mary and Ira Veenstra of Walker; his brothers in law and sisters in law Hazel Mroz of Muskegon, Chuck and Alva Chaffee of Wyoming, Ethel Chaffee of Grand Haven, Art and Nellie Chaffee of Delta, CO, Erma and Jack Shear of Spring Lake, Edna Herron of Chicago, Robert and Liz Chaffee of Alma, Mary and Carl Newak of Florida, Delores and Bud Beverly of Indiana and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Mr. Bour will be held Friday at 11AM at the at Heritage Lifestory Funeral Homes – Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr NW. Friends may meet the family on Thursday from 6-9PM. The family wishes to especially thank Dr. Phillips and Dr. Marcus for their wonderful and compassionate care for Paul. Memorial contributions to the Hospice of Holland, 270 Hoover Blvd., Holland 49423 or Holland Hospital Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center, 602 Michigan Ave, Holland, 49423. You may leave a memory of Paul or sign the online guestbook by visiting www.lifestorynet.com