Groenendyk, Dori (Mrs. Harry) 1968-2019

GROENENDYK, GROSSMANN

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:38

Dori Groenendyk, 51, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, passed away suddenly in Florence, Italy on October 9th, 2019. She had traveled there to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary with her beloved husband, Harry.

Dori lived life in the expectation that she would one day be embraced face-to-face by her savior, Jesus, which is a great comfort to her family. She was born in Pierre, South Dakota, on May 23rd, 1968. She grew up throughout the upper Midwest, including Kansas City, Missouri; Mitchell, South Dakota; and Orange City, Iowa. She received her Bachelor’s in English from Dordt College in 1991 and her Master’s in Education from Covenant College in 2015. She married Harry in 1989.

Her career plans were set aside after the birth of her eldest, Jake, in 1992. She viewed her callings as wife and mother as her primary occupations, but embraced a variety of other roles over the years. Limited examples include childbirth instructor and coach, school board member, middle school language arts teacher, mentor and friend to many younger women, and author of children’s Bible study curriculum. At the time of her death, she was occupied by her roles as an Area Director for Community Bible Study, teacher of ESL classes for immigrants at the Center for New Americans, Sunday School teacher at Grace Presbyterian Church, and property manager for the real estate business she operated with Harry. She also led a weekly “Girls and Books” club for 4th to 8th grade girls including book discussions and painting lessons.

Dori was active and enthusiastic about life. She enjoyed running, walking, reading, cooking, and anything involving her family. She practiced hospitality by default, and her children knew to always set extra places for Sunday dinner or Thanksgiving. These meals were followed by regular after-dinner questions, designed to drive reflection and dialogue. In the days before her unexpected death, she peppered her family with photos of the beauty and culture of Florence and Bible verses, per her usual custom.

She is survived by her husband, Harry; children, Jake, Ellie, Jessan, and Hannah; parents, Bob and Polly Grossmann; siblings, Jonathan (Glenda) Grossmann, Lydia (Jay) Kroese, Ruth (Ryan) Nicholson, and James (Michelle) Grossmann. She was preceded in death by her infant brother, Samuel. She will be sorely missed by these and many others.

Visitation will be from 12:00-3:00 PM on Friday, October 25th, followed by the funeral service at 3:00 PM at Community Reformed Church at 6800 E 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD.

In lieu of flowers, please kindly share a memory of Dori with the family using the online link and make a charitable contribution to Community Bible Study or Covenant College.

Dori’s funeral will be livestreamed; the link can be found at www.communityrc.org

Source: Heritage Funeral Home online obituary.