Jennie Johnson

Jennie Johnson, age 98, of Holland, passed away on Thursday April 7, 2011 in Resthaven Care Center.

Jennie was born in East Saugatuck on December 5, 1912 to Gerrit and Hermina (Beckman) Kars. In 1916, when Jennie was four years old her mother died. For the the next eleven years she grew up helping her dad on his farm and going to the Schrotenboer School where she graduated from the 8th grade on May 20, 1927. Jennie soon started working at the canning factory in Fennville and taking house cleaning and maid jobs.

Jennie married James Johnson on March 11, 1939 in East Saugatuck. They lived on the Johnson Homestead in Hamilton where sons, Jim Jr. and Ron were born. In December 1943 they moved to a forty-acre farm in Laketown Township which they purchased. Jennie and James had three more sons, Duane, Larry, and Kenneth.

Jennie was a homemaker, worked in the pickle and strawberry fields and picked and packed blueberries at the DeVries - Veldhuis Blueberry Farm for many years.

In the summer of 1985 her husband James died. Jennie continued to live on the farm for about eleven more years. She moved to Resthaven - Maple Woods on 32nd Street in Holland where she enjoyed her last years making many friends, doing a lot of volunteering and making hundreds of mittens and booties each year to donate to missions

She was a member of Graafschap Christian Reformed Church where she was a member of the Ladies Aid. Each day at Resthaven, she was on her church prayer line and would be in prayer. Her strong faith always gave her a smile and a positive attitude.

Jennie was preceded in death by her husband James Johnson and her sisters, Fannie Gruppen, Susan Vos, and Grace Johnson.

She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, James Jr. and Nancy Johnson of Wisconsin Dells, WI, Ronald and Kaylene Johnson of Holland, Duane and Janet Johnson of Holland, Larry and Bonnie Johnson of Holland, Kenneth and Toni Johnson of Avon, SD; nineteen grandchildren; thirty-seven great grandchildren; seven great great grandchildren; her sisters-in-law, Katherine Johnson and Eleanor Johnson; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on at 11:00am on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at the Graafschap Christian Reformed Church, 5973 Church Street with Rev. Henry Vanden Heuvel officiating.

Visitation will be held from 5-8pm on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at Graafschap Christian Reformed Church.

Burial will take place in East Saugatuck Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be given to Graafschap Christian Reformed Church or Resthaven Maple Woods.

Arrangements by the Mulder Chapel, Dykstra Funeral Homes. To sign an online registry, please visit www.dykstrafuneralhome.com.