Shirley Holtrop

Shirley Holtrop was abundantly loved and cherished in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. She was a woman of faith who served her Lord and church, and through her generous nature, gave of her time and talents, too. Shirley put the concern of others before her own, and simply loved making others happy. Strong of heart, she lived by her convictions, and in so doing, set a fine example for her children to learn by. A true blessing, she will be long remembered and sadly missed.

Born in Kent County, Michigan on June 28, 1937, Shirley's birth was a most welcome event in the lives of her parents, John and Neoma (Mark) Terpstra. It was an eventful year in the nation as the Golden Gate Bridge was brought to completion, and the disappearance of aviation pioneer, Amelia Earhart remains a mystery. The economy was slowly emerging from the Great Depression, and to the delight of young and old alike, Disney's Snow White opened in theaters.

The Terpstra's lived on Fruitridge Avenue where Shirley enjoyed a childhood typical for the times. Her father worked as a pipefitter, and her mother was a homemaker. The second child and oldest daughter, Shirley was raised with her five siblings, Royce, Sharon, Jackie, Kathy, and Nancy. A family of faith, Shirley attended West Side Christian School,. With her likable and fun-loving personality, she was a friend to many. She was outgoing and especially liked high school, yet like many young girls, she liked boys and free time even more!

Shirley was close to her sisters, and they became even closer after their mother left. With her father left to raise six children alone, he relied on Shirley. She naturally took the lead and simply did what needed to be done. A true "mother hen", she was fittingly nicknamed, "Boss" and "Sarge" by her siblings. Even with added responsibilities, Shirley went on to graduate from Berlin High School in 1955. She then acquired a job with Foremost Insurance in data entry, and continued to live at home.

Life for Shirley soon changed when she met Lynwood Holtrop. A good friend of Shirley's brother, he was often at their house. With shared attraction, the two began dating, and one night after seeing the movie, "The Lady and the Tramp", Lynwood proposed. Her family was so happy, and to this day her sister remembers the blue and white polka dot dress Shirley was wearing! In the midst of a blistery winter storm, they were happily blessed in marriage on December 5, 1958 at Richmond Reformed Church. It was a day to remember, despite the weather and that Shirley safely made it to the church after ending up in a ditch on the way. They spent a memorable honeymoon in Pennsylvania before beginning their new life together.

Lynwood was a home builder and set out to build a home to call their own. Not quite finished, they moved into the garage until rest of the house was ready. Shirley continued her work in data entry, yet soon took on a new role. Blessed with their five wonderful children, Ben, Ron, Terry, Anne, and Dean added much to their lives. By 1967, their family was growing and with their bustling household, they soon moved to their longtime house at 2303 Leonard Street NW. It became their treasured family home where a multitude of cherished memories were made. It was also where Shirley remained living for the rest of her days.

As a mother, Shirley was involved in the lives of her children. She led by example, and taught them well. She made herself available as a mom, and was active in their many activities. She organized and held many sales for church and raised funds for her kid's hockey groups. They took great and memorable family trips to Cedar Point. Shirley was indeed a great organizer and leader. Throughout the years she participated in many bus trips, organizing many of them. From several church groups to sports teams, she planned many from start to finish without missing a detail.

Shirley did it all. A wonderful cook, her cheese potatoes and roasts were the best, as were her apple pies and strawberry jams. She did a lot of canning, and even taught her boys how to can rabbit and deer meat. During cherry season, she'd pack the kids into the truck and drive north to Traverse City where they'd pick cherries until they were literally sick, a result of more eating than picking! Lyn and Shirley eventually put in a pool and their home quickly became a hangout for the kids and their friends. Over the years they enjoyed many pool parties.

Fun times were shared snowmobiling, and with Shirley on the back, it could even go fast enough for Lyn to out run a cop once! Golfing was something Shirley and Lyn also enjoyed together, of which they enjoyed several trips to French Lick Resort in Indiana. Shirley also enjoyed playing softball, and even played on the Remembrance Reformed Church Road Runners team. As a talented seamstress, she liked sewing and made many of her kids clothes. Gardening provided quiet contentment, and she loved watching the fruits of her labor grow. Her children remember much of what they ate at the dinner table was food grown in her garden and canned. She'd sit out on the back deck for hours snipping beans, and canned them along with pickles, pears, peaches, tomatoes, and meat.

Shirley worked for EDS, but mostly for Michigan Bulb and did so for over 25 years. In time she began working for IDS, remaining there until she was 71. Shirley enjoyed swimming regularly at the YMCA, and was also active with TOPS. Curling up with a good Karen Kingsbury book, anything about the Amish, or a Western was time well spent for Shirley.

When Dallas aired on TV, Shirley watched it diligently along with the Dukes of Hazard with the boys. When she was dedicated to something, it was clearly evident. A big fan of the Muskegon Mohawks, she was a season ticket holder of the IHL team and often piled the kids in the car and headed for one of the games. She was a loyal Detroit Tigers fan, and went on many bus trips to watch their games. Even in her last months, Shirley pressed on to attend life as usual.

A longtime member of Remembrance Reformed Church, she was actively involved, participating in choir and volunteered for many Wednesday night church dinners. She began the Cookie Cutters Group, and oversaw fundraisers for a new church kitchen. For many years she ran the blood drive at church, and volunteered at the Northwest Food Pantry. Shirley went above and beyond in all she did. If asked to bring a dish to pass, it was easily ten pounds of barbeque, or her infamous sheet apple pie. Whenever Shirley did something, she put her whole heart into it. Her generous ways were a gift, given selflessly with thoughtful consideration and care.

When it came to Shirley's sisters and their families, they were always there for one another. Whether experiencing fun family times, or through the challenges life brought their way, they shared it together, side by side. Simply one big family, they attended one another's family activities and children's events as if they were their own. When any of the kids came through her back door, a candy basket was always filled to the brim. When her sons came to her house to go rabbit hunting, she always had some of her fresh, homemade cookies waiting for them. Whatever made others happy, made Shirley happy, especially if she could be useful with a helping hand. Considerate and kind, Shirley always thought of others.

Although difficult at times, when her husband, Lyn died in 1997, Shirley continued on with life, staying active and working. In 2000, she began going to Nettles Island with her sister, Sharon, and sister-in-law, Jackie. She really loved her time there, and did so for many years. With her love for travel, she also went to Hawaii. Other trips included whitewater rafting and a cruise with, "the sisters".

In the beginning of 2012, Shirley was sadly diagnosed with cancer. During these last months, she made every moment count. She was always up for a good game of Farkel, and did what she could to attend her grandkids events, in spite of her illness. Whenever she was asked how she was doing, Shirley always replied, "Oh, pretty good", even through it all. But that was a part of Shirley everyone loved and admired. She gave freely, lived completely, and loved abundantly.

At the age of 74, Shirley D. Holtrop, of Grand Rapids, went to be with her Lord and Savior on June 3, 2012. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lynwood; brother, Royce Terpstra; brothers-in-law, Jim Zahm, Del Wiersma, and Casey Holtrop; and sister-in-law, Jackie Visser. Shirley is survived by her children: Ben (Monica) Holtrop, Ron (Julie) Holtrop, Terry (Sarah) Holtrop, Anne (Dave) Richards, and Dean (Jennifer) Holtrop; grandchildren: Megan and John Lanser, Becky and Don Greene, Ashley (fiance, Matt Nies) Holtrop, Andy Holtrop, Luke Holtrop, Jake Holtrop, Taylor Richards, Molly Holtrop, Parker Richards, Kaylyn Holtrop, Cam Richards, Isabel Holtrop, Nolan Holtrop, Sawyer Richards, and Brooklyn Holtrop; great-grandchildren, Avery and Nolan Lanser; her sisters: Sharon Zahm, Jackie O'Mealey, Kathy Hoogewind, and Nancy Wiersma; sisters-in-law: Dee Terpstra and Joyce Holtrop; brother-in-law, George (Sharon) Visser; many nieces and nephews, special friends, and loving neighbors.

Shirley was a longtime member of Remembrance Reformed Church where a Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 7, 2012. Friends may visit with her family from 2-4 and 6-8 PM on Wednesday at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW and on Thursday at church for one hour prior to the service. Contributions in her memory to Spectrum Health Hospice or Remembrance Reformed Youth Ministries are appreciated. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to share a favorite memory, photo, and to sign her online guest book.