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Ruth Lillian Hoekstra (I06693)
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Personal Facts and Details
Events of close relatives
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Mrs. Ruth DeVries, aged 82, graduated to glory on Saturday, August 25, 2001, and went to be with her eternal Father. She is survived by her husband of 53 years; [three] children; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. Mrs. DeVries was a member of Plainfield United Methodist Church and longtime member of the United Methodist Women, where she served several times as President. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Plainfield United Methodist Church, 214 Spencer NE, with her pastor officiating. Interment in Fairplains Cemetery. Friends may meet the family at the funeral home on Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday for one hour prior to the service. Expressions of sympathy may be mailed tot he funeral home or sent via the website. VAN STRIEN CRESTON CHAPEL 1833 Plainfield NE Heritage Funeral Service www.heritagefuneralservice.com (from Grand Rapids [Michigan] Press, Monday, 27 August 2001, online) ------------------------- When Ruth and her family moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan from Tacoma, Washington, they lived with their Uncle Ed Strong and his wife, Vi. This home was right across the street from the home of Ruth's future husband, Adrian DeVries. Later, Ruth's family moved to an apartment over a drugstore. Ruth was born in Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids, as were her youngest two children. She and her sister, Hope, attended a special school in Grand Rapids for children with health problems. I believe it was called an "open-air" school. There was an emphasis on outdoor exercise, rest, and nutritous food. Ruth's weak heart, caused by rheumatic fever, qualified her for this school. Hope was small for her age, and also attended. Ruth liked gardening and was an avid letter writer before she became blind due to macular degeneration. ------------------------------ Ruth Lillian Hoekstra, was born on 16 January 1919 in Blodgett Hospital, Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan. She was the oldest of three daughters of John Martin Hoekstra and Lillian Fern "Mary" Strong; her sisters were Hope Mildred Hoekstra (Mrs. Richard Vern Loveland) (1920 - 1968) and Mary Louise Hoekstra (Mrs. John Peter Glashower, Jr.) (1923 - 1994). Her name Ruth means "friend" in Hebrew, and she truly lived up to her name. She loved people, and nothing pleased her more than visiting others in person, on the telephone, or through the many letters she wrote in her lifetime. Not long after Ruth was born, her parents moved across country to Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington to be near her paternal grandparents and Uncle Louis Hoekstra's family. When the 1920 Federal Census was taken, they were living on 58th Street, while Uncle Louis, Aunt Reatha and their cousin Reatha Jane were living over on 54th Street. During their time in Tacoma, Ruth's younger sister Hope was born. The three girls often played together. Ruth's father had difficulty finding work after a strike, so the family returned to Grand Rapids. When they first returned, they lived with their Uncle Ed and Aunt Vi Strong, who had four girls who were "stair-stepped" between Ruth and her sisters (Mary Lou was born in Grand Rapids in 1923). At little later, the family lived in an apartment above a drugstore. By 1927, Ruth's parents had bought a house at 1815 Newark Avenue, S.E., where the family lived for many years. For a while, Ruth and Hope attended an "open-air school", which was created as a public health measure against the spread of tuberculosis, but was open to children with any range of health problems. There was an emphasis on outdoor exercise, rest, and nutritious food. Ruth's weak heart, caused by rheumatic fever, qualified her for this school. Hope was small for her age, and so also qualified. The last few years of her life, she struggled both with heart problems due to her weakened heart from childhood, and blindness caused by macular degeneration. Her feisty spirit was evident though, for she continued to write letters and play the piano despite her dimming sight. Her love of literature was satisfied by books on tape and the many hours her husband spent patiently reading and re-reading her favorite books. She had committed many Bible passages to memory, which sustained her during those tough times. On 25 August 2001, at St. Mary's Hospital, Grand Rapids, she passed away peacefully after listening to her family and pastor gather around her hospital bed to pray and sing her favorite hymns. She was buried four days later at Fairplains Cemetery. |
Sources
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Media
 Multimedia Object |  William & Ruth Valk
Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 300 x 374 Type: photo |
Multimedia Object |  Ruth and Hope Hoekstra 1921
Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 150 x 216 Type: photo |
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Family with Parents - [View Family (F2754)] |
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Family with William Valk - [View Family (F2756)] |
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Family with Adrian DeVries - [View Family (F2757)] |
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Research Assistant
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