Howard Lankheet, 93
Howard Jay Lankheet, 93, of Zeeland, passed away on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Howard was born Feb. 1, 1932, in Zeeland, to Harry and Hattie (Ensing) Lankheet. He grew up in Oakland and when Howard was a teenager, the Lankheet family moved to South Olive. Howard was a lifelong adult member of South Olive Christian Reformed Church.
Howard served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Howard married Grace Berens on Nov. 26, 1954. His primary work was as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service until his retirement. At night, on weekends, and in retirement he also worked his own 30-acre farm. Howard was preceded in death by his son Del Lankheet, in the spring of 2025.
Howard is survived by his wife of 70 years, Grace; their children: Bruce and Bonnie Lankheet, Brenda and Bryan Roels, and Marcia and Mike Kwantes; daughter-in-law, Lynn Lankheet; grand-children and great-grandchildren, Bradley and Greta Lankheet (Evie, Susie, Luke, Hattie, Max), Elizabeth and Dana Leach (William, Caroline, Eli), Kayla and Isaac Koert (Kambri, Andi), Travis and Tara Lankheet, Benjamin and Saharra Roels, Matthew Kwantes, Daniel Kwantes, Caleb Kwantes, Lydia Kwantes, Joanna Kwantes, and Biruk Kwantes; siblings, Denny Lankheet and Bev Hulst; in-laws; Harriet Johnson, Shirley and Carl Everts, Alverne Hop, Betty Lankheet; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
Funeral Services and visitation were pending as of press time. Arrangements are by the Yntema Funeral Home, 251 S. State St., Zeeland.
Marlan?Vork, 73
Marlan J. Vork, 73 of Holland, passed away Thursday, July 10, 2025 at the Inn at Freedom Vil-lage.
Marlan was born May 16, 1952 in Zeeland to Marvin and Marjorie (Blauwkamp) Vork and was a lifelong resident of the area.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia “Pat” Vork, in 2015; and his parents, Marvin and Marj Vork.
Marlan is survived by his daughters, Michelle (Roger) Reed and Jodi (Elliot) Essenburg; grand-children, Jordan (Preston), Jared, Sadie, Evelyn and Ashley; one great-grandchild, Ava; siblings, Marcia (Bob) Nienhuis, Marilyn (Brian) Nienhuis and Mark Vork; several nieces, nephews, ex-tended family and friends.
A funeral service to celebrate Marlan’s was held Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at North Holland Re-formed Church, 12050 New Holland St., Holland with Rev. Steven DeVries officiating. Burial was in Restlawn Memorial Gardens.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Staff Scholarship at Freedom Village or to Gentiva Hospice.
Mary Lou De Witt, 84
Mary Lou Meeuwsen DeWitt, 84, of Holland, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family.
Born on Aug. 30, 1940, Mary Lou grew up surrounded by beauty, working in her parents’ green-houses where she developed a love of flowers. Her passion for gardening stayed with her throughout her life, and she found great joy tending to her own garden.
A 1958 graduate of Zeeland High School, Mary Lou went on to pursue her calling in nursing, earning her degree from Pine Rest Christian Hospital. Her lifelong career and volunteer efforts were rooted in compassion and service to others.
For more than 40 years, Mary Lou volunteered with Hospice of Holland, an organization that held a special place in her heart.
Mary Lou was a lifelong learner and a vibrant presence in her community. She was an active member of Calvary on 8th Street in Holland and participated in several local organizations in-cluding the Hope Academy of Senior Professionals (HASP) and Evergreen Commons. Mary Lou also dedicated over 30 years of service as a volunteer with the Red Cross.
Mary Lou is survived by her children, grandchildren and great-grandson, Dawn and Kurt Brinks (Mikaela and Ben Geers, great-grandson Parker, and Marcus and Allison Brinks), Sandra and Jeff Kayes (Rachael and Nate Miller, Brandon Kayes, and Shaun Kayes) Kelly DeWitt (Katelyn DeWitt, Haxel DeWitt and Nathan DeWitt), and Kerri-Sue and James Smits (Kylie Smits, Conner Smits, and Kierea Smits).
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Oliver and Julia Meeuwsen; her brother, Vern Meeuwsen; and her daughter-in-law, Kristen De Witt.
A celebration of Mary Lou’s life was held on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at Calvary on 8th Street, 995 E. 8th St., Holland.
Memorial contributions may be given to Hospice of Holland or Heights of Hope.
Janet Van Dommelen, 82
Janet (Bell) Van Dommelen, 82, of Holland, went peacefully home to her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
Janet arrived in this world on Feb. 12, 1943, in Port Huron, the youngest of four children born to Pearl and Howard E. Bell. She enjoyed a childhood filled with fun, adventure, music, and over-seas travel. She graduated with honors from Port Huron High School.
On June 16, 1962, Janet married Don Van Dommelen. They established residence in Holland, where they raised their four daughters. Janet was a longtime member of Immanuel Church where she served faithfully teaching Sunday School and working as a youth leader.
Janet enjoyed the sweet things in life – time with her family, a good cup of tea, baking and decorating cookies, sewing, calligraphy, reading, and requiring her girls to memorize scripture. Despite her physical limitations, in the later years of her life, she kept her family very busy – loving long phone conversations, texting with many words and emojis, and sending political updates.
Janet was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Sandy Van Dommelen; her husband, Don Van Dommelen; parents, Pearl and Howard E. Bell; and siblings, Lois (Jack) Dell, Bob Bell and David Bell.
Janet is survived by her daughters, Debra Barfield, Karen Brown, Sharon Boyce Baczkowski (Dan) and Kathy Ridlington (Kevin); grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Caleb and Katie Brown, Chelsea and Ryan Dauer, Josiah Brown and Lindsay Hale, Noah Brown, Matthew and Jenna Brown (Clara and Lucy), Natalie Boyce, Timothy Boyce, Sarah Brown, Margaret and Aidan Charron, George Boyce, Hannah Ridlington and Charlie Ridlington; as well as extended family and dear friends.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, July 19, at Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home, 315 E. 16th St., Holland. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 18, at the funeral home. Private interment will be in Pilgrim Home Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Hospice (faithhospicecare.org) or or Our Daily Bread Ministries (odbm.org).
Marcia Brunink, 69
Marcia Jean Brunink, 69, of Holland, died Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Born on Nov. 10, 1956, with severe limitations, she overcame with tenacity and determination and impressed all who knew her with her resilience to endure. Given only a few years to live, she outlived everyone's expectations. She was an inspiration to those who knew her, loved her and cared for her.
The family wishes to give a special thank you to her caregiver family from Heritage Homes and Hospice of Holland.
Marcia was the daughter of John and Hattie Brunink, who proceeded her in death. Her siblings are Bern and Betty Brunink of Holland (Bern passed away in 2024), Ed Brunink of Hudson, Fla. (Ed passed away in 2011), Dee and Jerry Kraai of Irons, Glady and Harley Ponstein of Zeeland (Harley passed away in 2010), and Jerry and Janna Brunink of Holland.
Arrangements for private family services have been arranged by Yntema Funeral Home, 251 S. State St., Zeeland. Memorial contributions may be given to Heritage Homes at heritagehome-sinc.org.
Joyce Heuvelman, 92
Joyce Elaine Heuvelman, 92, of Holland, passed away on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Douglas.
Joyce was born in Zeeland to John and Lucy Schreur on April 24, 1933. She graduated from Beaverdam Christian School in 1946. She worked at Fleetwood Furniture Manufacturer for more than 30 years.
Joyce is survived by her daughter, Vicky Brouwer, and her son-in-law, Larry Vera of Holland; grandson, Derick and Gemini Brouwer (Naya, Jase); granddaughter, Stephanie and Jacob deBoer (Elexis, Luke); grandson, Beau and Charity Vera (Jillian, Kingston, Kasen); granddaughter, Erika and Bob Stoddard (three kids and six great-grandkids), all of Holland; sister, Jan Harsevoort (Dwayne).
She was preceded in death by her brother, Gerald Schreur, and her sister, Nancy Schreur.
A private graveside took place at Beaverdam Cemetery. The family wishes to extend gratitude to the staff at Douglas Cove Healthcare Center, and a special thank you to Patricia for treating their mother like family.
Dolores Lampen, 61
Dolores Evelyn Lampen, age 61, of Allegan, passed away Sunday, July 6, 2025, at Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital after a brief battle with leukemia.
Delores was born June 27, 1964, in Chicago, Ill., to Rev. Rodney and Florence Adaline (Lynn) Dopp. She grew up in the Kalamazoo area and graduated from Comstock High School in 1982.
Delores married Donald Lampen on Nov. 29, 2003. She was employed as a logistics coordinator at several companies for three decades. She was a longtime member of Central Wesleyan Church in Holland.
In addition to her husband, Donald Lampen, Dolores is survived by her children, Stephanie (Michael) Ritsema of Zeeland, Derek (Allie) Lampen of Holland, Andrew (Morgan) Dopp of Hudsonville and Emily Lampen of Allegan; grandchildren, Anne, William, Caleb, Charles, and Gabriel; siblings, Elizabeth (Jim) Scarpa of Gurnee, Ill., Robin (Ron) Buck of Appleton, Wis., Laurel Giles of Neola, Iowa, John (Dariene) Dopp of Kirkland, Wash. and David (Mary Joy) Dopp of Battle Creek; sister-in-law, Wendy Arnold of Portage; brothers-in-law, Rick (Shelly) Lampen of Hamilton, Dale Lampen of Overisel; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Dolores was preceded in death by her parents and her oldest brother, Stephen Dopp.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 19 in the chapel of Central Wes-leyan Church, 446 W. 40th St., Holland. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on
Friday, July 18 at Yntema Funeral Home, 251 S. State St., Zeeland.
With respect to her wishes and as a testament to her commitment to helping others, memorial contributions are suggested to the Hands of Hope Foundation at handsofhopefoundation.com.
Thong Nantharath, 47
Thong Kham Nantharath, 47, of Holland, died Wednesday, July 2, 2025 of injuries suffered in an accident.
Thong was born on March 8, 1978 in Laos. At two years old, he was adopted in a refugee camp in Thailand by his loving parents, Pongphilla and Champa Nantharath. In the early 1980s, the family immigrated to Zeeland, where they built their lives.
Thong worked at Request Foods for nearly 25 years as an industrial cook. Even in his free time, he was passionate about cooking and loved to try new things in the kitchen.
Thong's pride and joy in life were his sons. Devon, Jared, Miles, Micah and Chase were always his priorities and he loved traveling and spending time with them.
In 2019, Thong met the love of his life and best friend, Janie. Together, they created a beautiful life dedicated to raising and supporting the boys. They loved going on trips, fun dates, and spending time with their grandchildren.
Thong was preceded in death by his father, Pongphilla Nantharath; his nephew, Rocky Bouthav-ong; and a cherished aunt.
He is survived by his mother, Champa, sons, Devon (Naviah) Nantharath, Jared Nantharath, Miles Nantharath, Micah Cruz, and Chase Nantharath; his beloved fiancee, Janie Torres; their grandchildren, Yolli, Nova, Junior, Davahnee and Jacell; many cousins, aunts and uncles, extend-ed family, and friends.
Funeral services were held Saturday, July 12 at the Dykstra Funeral Home - Northwood Chapel, 295 Douglas Ave., Holland.
Memorial contributions may be made to the family to defray funeral expenses.
