Peter Dykema

Peter Dykema was a dedicated father and husband who instilled a very strong sense of values in his children. A man of immense faith, he embodied the true Christian spirit with his kind, generous personality and his strong sense of conviction. Devoted to the Lord, Peter showed his devotion through his love of family and his strong work ethic. His life and his work are an inspiration to all.

As the United States was celebrating a time of temporary peace and prosperity between the two world wars, John and Alice (Kuiper) Dykema of Grand Rapids, Michigan, had a celebration of their own with the birth of their son, Peter, on April 30, 1924. The second of seven children, Peter grew up in the company of his sister, Martha, and five brothers, John, Charles, Paul, Andrew and Benjamin.

Peter was just a child during the booming era of the Roaring 20s, but by the time the Great Depression had toppled the nation’s economy in the 1930s, he was old enough to understand the value of a dollar and the importance of helping others in need. In fact, Peter remembered the day he went to the bank with his father and they informed him that there was nothing left. The family ultimately lost their house and even the family dog (because they couldn’t afford the license) and moved in with his maternal grandfather. However, tragedy struck the family once again when one summer the house and barn burned down and they lost everything again. And if that wasn’t enough, they then rented a barn that would later catch fire and burn down too. Finally, the family returned to the old family farm on 3 Mile Road NE. There, the children would sleep on mattresses on the dining room floor in the winter months to be closer to the warm stove. Like many young boys of this time, Peter quit school after the eighth grade and found work to help support his family. He boarded with many farmers in the Hudsonville area while working in the muck fields. Every cent he made, Peter sent home to his parents.

In 1947, a wonderful thing happened to Peter – he met the love of his life, Ruth DenBraber, on a blind date. Peter’s brother was going on a date with Ruth’s friend and he asked her to come along to meet his brother, Peter. That night Ruth jokingly said she received two proposals, though she happily accepted Peter’s “true” proposal a year later. The young couple was married on May 17, 1948, and over the next few years they were blessed with four children: Marilyn, Patricia, Marvin and Sue.

After marrying, Peter returned to the family farm to help out – he was always a farmer at heart. Peter built his own home on the family land, starting first with the basement, which they lived in until there was enough money to build the first floor. After the children were born, he added the second floor plus an addition so that Ruth’s parents could live with them too. His father and brother ran an excavating business outside of the farming, and Peter later went to work for them. He operated a bulldozer for over 25 years, but because of all the bumping around for so many years, he began experience back problems and had to quit. During the time he worked excavating, Peter also took over his father’s small greenhouse and began building it up into what would become Dykema Greenhouses. Since it was located next to their home, it truly became a family business. Peter and Ruth made sure their children learned responsibility by pitching in. The children admired their father’s incredible skills and strong work ethics, which inspired them to give their all in everything they did. Having a strong family was always important to Peter. Even when he was busy with the greenhouse, he made sure to be home a lot with his family. After the busy spring season in the greenhouse was over and business slowed down, Peter and Ruth took this opportunity to take family vacations every summer. They would pack up their tent and hit the road for parts unknown throughout the United States. After the children were grown, Peter and Ruth continued to travel, mostly by car, visiting every state in the U.S., except Hawaii. But every trip they made had a purpose, whether to visit family and friends, help out someone in need or attend special activities. For many years, Peter was always very active with the Cadet program in their church, which he in fact helped start, picking up neighborhood children to join the children from the church. As a Cadet counselor, he attended the Cadet Camporee, and every year, Peter would win the beard-growing contest among the counselors. In later years, when Peter stepped down as leader, his son, following in his father’s footsteps, took over as leader.

Peter was a strong father figure for his children, who knew they could always count on him. Caring and attentive, he took an active role in every phase of his children’s lives. Peter often took them on nature walks and hikes, pointing out the many splendors of God’s creation and to respect each of them. He showed them the simple beauty in a perfectly straight plowed field and how to identify trees by their bark. Amazingly, all of Peter’s greenhouse skills were all self-taught; he had a natural green thumb. One of Peter’s most memorable sayings to his children was, “keep your fingers in the soil” or in other words, remember where you came from. Peter was very fair minded and hardly ever had to discipline his children. On those rare occasions, it usually only took a simple look for them to know they were in trouble. The one thing that his children will forever remember about their father is his deepest heartfelt saying, “Remember your Maker”, which he adamantly reminded them when they left the house. Peter worked hard to instill his Christian values upon his children and took time to regularly pray with them.

Peter was not one to be idle and on the rare chance that he did sit down, he was sure to fall asleep. Meanwhile, as a man of many talents, Peter busied himself with all kinds of work. Recently, he helped build a shed for his daughter in Florida and was eager to start work on a greenhouse addition in Arizona. After retiring, he and Ruth focused their work on disaster aid projects for CRWRC throughout the U.S. for a few years. He worked construction, while Ruth helped out with cooking. Peter also wrote the church newsletter for a while, which gave the congregation an insight into his dry sense of humor that didn’t usually didn’t come out in conversation. For about 8 years, Peter and Ruth truly enjoyed square dancing and even traveled around the country to attend various events. The couple was introduced to square dancing after meeting someone in the church neighborhood who said, “If you square dance, I’ll go to church.” And that is what they did!

No matter where his path led him, Peter always focused on serving the Lord and serving others. He was a devout Christian and his strong faith was the hallmark of his life. It wasn’t necessary for him to tell others of his faith for his Christian commitment was always evident in the way he treated his fellow man. Peter was an active member at Creston Christian Reformed Church, where he at one time was also an elder. He also helped out at the North Park Chapel, where he took his children door to door to pass out tracts. In addition, he was also the Sunday School Superintendent. Throughout his life, he always tried to find the good in every circumstance and never complained. If something happened not necessarily the way he wanted, Peter firmly believed that was the way God intended it to be.

Peter was a soft-spoken man with a big heart. It was said that because of his large stature, he was often referred to as a “Gentle Giant” or “Humble Giant.” Although when this Gentle Giant spoke, everyone wanted to listen. For Peter, the greatest source of happiness in his life, aside for his deep faith, was his family. He took great pride in his children and grandchildren, whom he adored. Peter poured the same amount of love into his relationships with his grandchildren as he did with his own children. Through the years Peter also remained closely connected with his family and had dinners every year with his brothers before he and Ruth left for winters in Arizona. He also had a soft spot for the family pets, which through time included dogs, horses and cats. The horses were primarily used to haul firewood to the greenhouse, however, every Christmas their task was to pull the sleigh for some wintertime fun.

Although Peter will be deeply missed, his legacy of love, dedication and deep commitment to his faith leaves his loved ones with treasured memories and a strong foundation to look to form comfort.

Peter Dykema, age 80 of Grand Rapids, MI, passed away on Thursday, February 10, 2005, in Arizona. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Dykema; his children: Marilyn and Stephen Rumancik of Florida, Patricia and James Cheyne of Burnips, Marvin and Janice Dykema of Grand Rapids, Sue and Jack Rice of Arizona; 16 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren; siblings: John and Dorothy Dykema, Martha and Gerrit Holstege, Charles and Ruth E. Dykema, Paul and Luanne Dykema, Andrew and Carrol Dykema, Benjamin and Charlene Dykema; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, February 15, at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to meet with his family at the HERITAGE LIFE STORY FUNERAL HOME – VAN STRIEN CRESTON CHAPEL, 1833 Plainfield NE, Grand Rapids, on Monday, February 14, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Interment in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. For those who wish, memorial contributions to Creston Christian Reformed Church Christian Education Fund are appreciated. You may share a favorite memory or order flowers by visiting www.lifestorynet.com.