Bennett, Dorothy Elizabeth "Dee" (Mrs. ) 1934-2021

BENNETT, DEJONG, VANDERLUGT, KOOI

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/28/2021 at 10:10:32

Dorothy Elizabeth (Dee) Bennett, 87, died unexpectedly July 12, 2021, after experiencing a heart attack at her home in Grand Rapids. MI. Her family rejoices that she now lives forever in the presence of her Savior.

Dorothy's life will be remembered in the near future at the Raybrook Manor chapel in Grand Rapids, MI. An Iowa memorial service, led by Pastor Todd Zuidema, will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, at the Lebanon Christian Reformed Church and her remains will be buried in the Lebanon cemetery immediately following.

The youngest child of Gerrit and Bertha (Kooi) Vander Lugt was born March 3, 1934, on the family farm near Lebanon, IA. She attended the nearby one-room country school, Garfield No. 8 and enjoyed participating in the spelling bees. As an adult she reveled in the challenges of Scrabble and Quiddler.

After a freshman year at Sioux Center High School, Dorothy transferred to Western Christian High School in Hull. Because of the distance from her family home, Dorothy boarded with a widow in Hull during the weekdays; she graduated 70 years ago this spring. After high school, she worked as a bookkeeper in Sioux Falls, SD, taking the train home to rejoin her family on weekends. Her parents and siblings were near and dear to her always.

Dorothy and her high school sweetheart married in December, 1952. A few months after their first daughter, Linda Jean, was born, Les De Jong volunteered for army duty and was sent to Korea.

Mary Lou was born in her absence. When he returned, the young family moved to Grand Rapids, MI, so Les could enroll in Calvin College under the GI Bill. Rachel Ann was born during that time. The marriage ended in divorce in 1972.

A brief marriage several years later gave Dorothy a new name and "Dee Bennett" moved to Denver in 1981 to escape the Michigan winters. There she worked as an accountant, first for law firms, then for an oil company and finally for a cable company.

She was active in her church there and used weekends to take college classes. Dee enjoyed needlepoint, was a dedicated letter write and generously share "found" essays and Scripture passages that spoke to her.
After her retirement, Dee returned to Grand Rapids. She took great pleasure in building aq loving relationship with great-grandson Cash and cultivated old and new friendships when she moved to the Holland Home Retirement Community in 2013.
Whether folding dishcloths for the kitchen, playing piano for hymn sings, writing the stories of new residents or assisting at the chapel service, Dee looked for opportunities to joyfully serve others while sharing her deep love for Jesus.

Dorothy's family honors and cherishes her for all the love, light and courage she showed in her living. She is survived by her daughters, Linda Miller, Mary De Jong and Rachel Carrington; grandchildren, Christopher Miller, Joseph Merrill and Alexandra Marshall; and great-grandchildren, Cashius Miller and Haley and Cole Marshall. Dorothy's life is also celebrated by her sister, Lois Hooyer; sister-in-law, Annetta Vander Lugt; many nieces, nephews, and cousins, and her friends at Raybrook.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Ray Vander Lugt and Al Vander Lugt; and her sisters, Margaret Vander Stoep and Grace Haverhals.

Source: Sioux Center News issue of 28 July 2021 page A5.