Vander Wilt, Elynor (Mrs. Jacob "Jack" Myron) 1928-2020

VANDERWILT, REEKERS, HEEMSTRA

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

Mrs. Elynor Vander Wilt, age 92, of Orange City, passed away on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at the Orange City Area Health System.

There will be a private funeral service on Friday, July 31, 2020, at 1:30pm, in the chapel of the First Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. Mark Haverdink will officiate. Interment will follow the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. Public visitation with the family present will be on Friday, from 10:30am to 12:00pm, at the church. Arrangements are with the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

Relatives and friends are invited to leave a message of condolence, share your remembrances, print a memorial folder, and participate in the service via live stream at www.oolman.com.

Elynor Ruth was born on June 1, 1928, near Orange City, the daughter of Theodore “Ted” and Arta (Reekers) Heemstra. She was raised in the Orange City area, where she graduated high school and attended Northwestern Junior College.

She was united in marriage to Jacob Myron Vander Wilt on June 10, 1947, at the First Reformed Church in Orange City. The couple made their home in Orange City where Elynor worked as a secretary for the Sioux County Health Nurse and later at the Farm Bureau Insurance office. In 1982, Jack and Elynor moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Jack worked for Words of Hope. Following Jack’s retirement, they returned to Orange City, eventually making their home at the Pioneer Memorial Home. Jack passed away on July 11, 2017, in Hull, after more than seventy years of marriage. In December of 2019, Elynor became a resident of the Pleasant Acres Care Center in Hull, and in March of this year she transferred to the Prairie Ridge Care Center in Orange City.

Mrs. Vander Wilt was a member of the First Reformed Church, and during their time in Michigan, was a member of the Zion Reformed Church in Grandville. She enjoyed playing the piano and singing, reading, and loved to socialize with her friends, especially over coffee. Her wonderful sense of humor and ability to tell a story will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Survivors include her three children and their spouses, Jay and Jill Vander Wilt, of Ankeny; Gayle and Steve Newby, of Lebanon, Ohio; and Jaclyn and Jay Joersz, of Sioux Falls; seven grandchildren, Alicia (Louis) Adams, Brent (Gail) Vander Wilt, Kyle (Meredith) Vander Wilt, Ashley (Chris) Ogden, Angela Jones, Andrea Newby, and Stephanie (Jason) Reynolds; fourteen great-grandchildren; two sisters, Audrey Landegent, of Orange City; and Carole, and her husband, Donald Kempema, of Grandville, Michigan; a sister-in-law, Judy Vander Wilt, of Holland, Michigan; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a sister and her husband, Jean and Dick Van Zanten; a brother and his wife, Merlyn and Audrey Heemstra; and two brothers-in-law, John Landegent and Marlyn Vander Wilt.

Memorials may be directed to Words of Hope.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.