John Witte Sr.

John Witte, Sr., born December 27, 1916, joyfully entered his eternal home on June 13, 2008. Beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, John lived faithfully and abundantly, enjoying family, friends, his work and many travels while deeply grounded in his Christian faith. He was born in Brielle, the Netherlands, to Hendrik and Hermina Witte. At the end of his formal education, he joined the Netherlands Water Police and was posted in Vlaardingen where he met his wife of 65 years, Ena Goedknegt. Together they persevered through WW II, and while involved in the Dutch resistance, John was captured by the Nazis and was incarcerated until the end of the war. Presumed dead by many, he returned home after the war to join his wife and young son. In 1948 John was promoted to Post Commander of the Water Police with a posting in Drimmelen, a village where he and his family lived until their immigration to the USA. During the years after the war, God blessed his family with the birth of six more children. In 1956, sponsored by First CRC, Grand Rapids, MI, John and Ena, along with their seven children, immigrated to the United States. Two additional children were born in the US. After a few years employment at Keeler Brass, John started John Witte and Sons, a business that continues to operate today as Witte Lawn Maintenance. Not long after his arrival in the USA, John and a few other immigrants joined together in arranging a number of activities and special church services for recently arrived Dutch immigrants. Their goal was to assist in the acclimation of Dutch immigrants into American society. This was the start of what was to become the Dutch International Society (DIS). John Witte and the other board members advanced cultural exchanges between the Netherlands and the United States and organized many charter flights to the Netherlands. This enabled thousands of immigrants to return back to Holland for visits with family and friends. John served the DIS as Secretary and later as Executive Secretary. His last career began in 1976 when he joined his oldest son's company, Witte Travel and Tours, as sales representative and tour host. He was an active member of First CRC, served as an elder, and in his retirement faithfully visited the sick and elderly. Throughout his life, John met and encouraged many people and leaves behind a legacy of humble servanthood. For advancing Dutch-American relations, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands bestowed on him the title and decoration of Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands decorated John with the Resistance Memorial Cross for his work in the Dutch resistance. John was preceded in death by his grandson, Anthony Vondiziano. He is survived by his loving wife, Ena; his children and grandchildren, Henry and Thressa (John and Rachel, Henry and Rebecca), Teunis and Phyllis (Natasha, Lisa, Nathaniel, Christina, Matthew), Joanne and Daniel Bajema (Elizabeth, Rebecca and fiancé, Mike Poortenga), John and Lynda (Derek and Amber, Justin and Olivia), Sophia (Daniel and Laura Vanden Bosch, Kimberly and Matt Veenstra), Herman and Laurie (Scott and Cheri, Mark, Annette), Ina and Warren Burmeister, NM, (Michelle Vondiziano and Rowley Kennerk, Gregory Vondiziano), Paul and Karen (Jessica and Joshua Brown, Benjamin), Marlene and Tom Kramer, CA, (Jennifer, David, Kevin); 11 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Sophia de Willigen and Triny Goedknegt; brother-in-law, Maarten de Bruin; many nephews and nieces (all in the Netherlands); and faithful friends, Neal and Ann Peters whose Sunday night visits were a special joy in his later years. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at the First Christian Reformed Church, 650 Bates St., Grand Rapids, Michigan with Rev. William DeVries and Rev. Morris Greidanus officiating. Interment in Rest Lawn Memorial Park. Visitation will take place at the Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf Funeral Home (Kentwood), 4646 Kalamazoo Ave. S.E. on Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First CRC Endowment Fund, 650 Bates St. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or Lisa's House, 2773 Ridgecrest S.W., Byron Center, MI 49315. Condolences may be sent online at www.mkdfuneralhome.com. Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf