Heritage
Fran Dantuma Aardema ex’44
Sept. 25, 2019, Grandville, Mich.
Alida Haan Akker ’69
June 6, 2019, Buchanan Dam, Texas
Gordon Arnoys ’64
Sept. 30, 2019, Grandville, Mich.
Eugene Bartman ’67
Oct. 5, 2019, Rockford, Mich.
Roscoe Bennett ’50
Apr. 30, 2019, Jackson, N.J.
Paul Brink ’64
Sept. 17, 2019, Oakland, Calif.
Bertha Ver Meer Brouwer ex’46
Dec. 6, 2018, Pella, Iowa
Robert Bytwerk ’50
Oct. 1, 2019, West Olive, Mich.
James Clousing ’60
Aug. 5, 2019, Saint John, Ind.
Judith Camping Davies ’66
April 10, 2019, Penney Farms, Fla.
Phillip De Lange ’60
Aug. 18, 2019, Hudsonville, Mich.
Alvin Diephouse ex’49
Nov. 23, 2018, Naples, Fla.
Sue Helder Goliber ’69
July 2, 2019, Ellicott City, Md.
Thelma Jordan Hekhuis ’52
Aug. 17, 2019, Grandville, Mich.
David Holkeboer ’62
July 29, 2019, Rockford, Mich.
Grace Huitsing ’46
Oct. 11, 2019, Carol Stream, Ill.
Harvey Huiner ’59
Feb. 16, 2019, Lynchburg, Va.
Marian Ike Huizenga ex’47
Oct. 13, 2019, Richland, Mich.
James Jager ’61
July 11, 2019, Grandville, Mich.
Thelma Mulder Kingma ’48
Sept. 7, 2019, Decatur, Ga.
Lester Knot ’59
June 18, 2019, Zeeland, Mich.
Coral Haveman Kreykes ’53
June 8, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Gertrude Oppewal Kuiper ex’50
July 27, 2019, Jenison, Mich.
Florence Kuipers ’42
Sept. 6, 2019, Washington, D.C. Florence was a Distinguished Alumni Award winner in 1983 for her notable contributions in the field of linguistics.
Mary Vanenk Lamse ’62
Sept. 24, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
George Lubben ex’50
July 19, 2019, Lemont, Ill.
Dorothy Vander Veer Monsma ex’56
Mar. 5, 2018, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Dwight Monsma ’53
Sept. 17, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Carole Oostendorp ’64
Oct. 2, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Theodore “Ted” Persenaire ex’53
Mar. 25, 2018, Crete, Ill.
Robert Plekker ’56
Aug. 23, 2019, Hanford, Calif.
Lucile De Stigter Poel ’49
Aug. 17, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Leonard Postema ’57
Sept. 28, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Mary Ondersma Prince ’59
June 6, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Annetta De Boe Prins ex’44
May 11, 2019, Holland, Mich.
Martha Rose ’56
Jan. 27, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Karen Kamphuis Slager ’68
Mar. 28, 2019, Bellflower, Calif.
Clarence Star ’52
July 30, 2019, Sarasota, Fla.
Mary Lummen Stouten ex’62
Oct. 10, 2019, Caledonia, Mich.
Marjorie Monsma Stuit ’54
Aug. 8, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Edward Teune ’68
Aug. 21, 2019, Warsaw, Ind.
Marian Vander Ark ’53
July 13, 2019, Denver, Colo.
James Vanderlaan ’60
Aug. 18, 2019, Caledonia, Mich.
Barbara Nieboer Vander Zyden ’51
Aug. 21, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Elinor Bouwsma Van Dyke ’50
Aug. 22, 2019, Charlevoix, Mich.
James Van Eerden ’64
July 3, 2019, New Brighton, Minn.
Lois Kieft Van Hoef ex’46
Jan. 9, 2019, South Pasadena, Fla.
Carol Vander Slik Van Zytveld ’62
Oct. 20, 2018, Vancouver, Wash.
Charlotte Veenstra ’60
June 26, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Calvin Verbrugge ’59
Mar. 10, 2019, Racine, Wis.
Judith Hofstra Waanders ’59
Apr. 17, 2019, Grand Haven, Mich.
Robert Wassenaar ex’65
Sept. 29, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Norman King Wierenga ’63
Sept. 8, 2019, Horton, Mich.
Elizabeth Nelson Williams ’65
April 5, 2019, Wayland, Mich.
Leon Witteveen ’50
June 10, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Ken Zandee ’59
June 21, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Chris Overvoorde, 1934–2019
Best known for his expansive paintings of clouds and his gracious spirit, Chris Stoffel Overvoorde died Sept. 3. He was 84.
Overvoorde spent 31 years in the art department at Calvin, from which he retired in 1997.
“Chris was a fantastic colleague who cared deeply about his family, Grace Christian Reformed Church, and Calvin,” said art professor Henry Luttikhuizen. “He worked hard, but he was always generous with his time, offering guidance and assistance to those in need.”
“Prolific” was another word used to describe the accomplished artist. Overvoode leaves a legacy of more than 2,000 works, including paintings, drawings, prints, and designs.
Overvoorde grew up near Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where he always had a prowess for drawing and painting but was unable to pursue art as a profession. A decision to emigrate from the Netherlands alone as a young man of 22 proved challenging but also life-changing.
Upon receiving his master of fine arts degree, he was recruited to Calvin, where he would spend his entire teaching career.
In 1993, Overvoorde spent a sabbatical on the Alberta prairie. While consistently interested in landscape paintings, he gained a deeper appreciation for open expanses and clouds during his time there.
Overvoorde was quick to use his artistic talent to benefit others around campus, as well. For more than a decade he served as the art director of Calvin’s alumni magazine, Spark. For this he was recognized with the university’s Outstanding Service Award in 1994.
“Chris inspired many alumni artists and art lovers with his enthusiasm about how paint can transform a canvas to bring meaning and delight,” said Mike VanDenend, former university alumni director.
He is survived by his wife, Greta; children, Sonja (Bob) Timmer, Paul (Lynn) Overvoorde, Joy Overvoorde, and Pete (Nora) Overvoorde; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
1970's
Carol Oppewall Botting ex’75
Sept. 27, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
William Buikema Jr. ex’79
Oct. 12, 2019, Englewood, Colo.
Patricia Buist ’78
July 30, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Pamela Doorn Dykehouse ex’79
July 18, 2019, Fort Wayne, Ind.
James Eldersveld ex’73
June 24, 2019, Crete, Ill.
Helen Fredricks ’73
July 14, 2019, Holland, Mich.
Timothy Palmer ’73
Aug. 20, 2019, Lincoln, Neb.
Lynn Karsten Pappas ex’70
Apr. 24, 2018, Hudsonville, Mich.
Glenda Wierenga Prins ’71
Apr. 7, 2019, Rochester, N.Y.
Ben Snoeyink ’70
Aug. 9, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Bruce Sturing ’72
June 28, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Scott Vander Molen ’74
Oct. 17, 2018, Alexandria, Minn.
Faith La Fleur Van Halsema ’70
Sept. 22, 2019, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Wanda Wansley ’76
Aug. 10, 2018, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Max Renauldo, 1997–2019
“He was one of the most likable kids I’ve been around … I just really, really enjoyed him.”
It didn’t take Dirk Pruis, a business professor at Calvin University, long to discover that Max Renauldo, a finance major at Calvin, stood out among his peers. Pruis had Renauldo in two classes during the 2018–2019 year and was his academic adviser.
“He had such a good heart. He cared about people and you could just see that in the way he interacted with other students in and around class,” said Pruis.
Renauldo, a week away from beginning his senior year at Calvin, died in a motorcycle accident Aug. 23, 2019.
Renauldo’s younger brother Zach, a junior at Calvin, remembers his brother as a man devoted to God, to his family, and to his country.
“He was a devout traditional Roman Catholic, went to Mass about three times a week, so God was a big part of his life,” said Zach. “He was always reading about Christian theology and everything like that. He was just a very morally virtuous person, and he loved family and he loved friends and every single person in his life. He made sure to embrace them and to make sure that they knew he loved them.”
One of the ways he showed that love was through service, including to his country. Max was in the ROTC program while at Calvin.
“He was in his element doing military stuff,” said Zach.
He was a grinder. He was a servant leader. He was someone who encouraged others to keep going.
“I think he knew life wasn’t going to be easy, he was going to have to work for it, and he was not afraid of that,” said Pruis. “And he was very much a glass half-full kind of a person, always happy, of course had stress like anyone else, but saw things positively.”
He is survived by his parents, Julie McGrath-Renauldo and Ralph Renauldo; his brothers, Justin (Lacey Ferro) and Zachery; his nephew, Korben; and a grandfather, Burr McGrath.
1980's
Susan Dykstra Poel ex’83
Oct. 8, 2019, Rochester, N.Y.
James Yonkers ’81
July 1, 2019, Grand Haven, Mich.
1990's
Troy Dokter ’93
Aug. 6, 2019, Holland, Mich.
Joseph Kim ’95
July 5, 2019, Kentwood, Mich.
Alice Anderson Smith ’94
July 22, 2019, Coopersville, Mich.
