Leon Ellis Jordan

Men are sometimes judged by the amount of "toys" they have, but Leon Jordan was an exception. He judged himself by his hard work ethic, his devotion to family and his love of nature and the outdoors. Leon spent his life balancing hard work with the role of a loving father and husband, and succeeded in bringing the best for his family.

The year 1940 was a time of change and growing tensions for the world. While Americans, still greatly aware of the tragedy abroad, were enjoying their first McDonald's hamburger at a small stand in

Pasadena, California

, Europeans were bracing themselves for Hitler's invasion of several small countries. For John Henry Jordan, a truck driver, and his wife, Rena (Plaggemars), of

Holland, Michigan

, however, the biggest

news

of this year was the birth of their son, Leon Ellis, on November 12, 1940, the third of their five children.

The

Jordan

home was on

Fairbanks Avenue

near downtown

Holland

, where Leon and his three brothers and one sister were raised in the

Central

Avenue

CRC

Church

. When

Leon

was 14, his family moved to the north side of

Holland

to a hobby farm at

Quincy

and

136th Avenue

. His father continued to work full-time as a driver, but also farmed the land. As a young boy,

Leon

loved to tinker around and build things from scratch, including his own soapbox derby car. One of his favorite activities, though, was camping with his dad and siblings, which they did a lot. In fact,

Leon

would carry on camping with his own children in later years. Leon attended the Holland Public Schools, but left

Holland

High School

after the 11th grade. However, he later returned and earned his GED.

After moving out to the farm, the family began attending the North End Gospel Hall, where

Leon

met the love of his life, Karen Howard. He was driving the tractor on one of their youth group hayrides when he finally asked Karen for a date. After a traditional courtship, the couple became engaged and was happily married two years later on June 12, 1959.

Leon

found work straightaway on a turkey farm to support his new wife. In 1964, they bought their first home at

12161 James Street

, and quickly filled it with the love and laughter of five children: Jodie born in 1960, Laurie in 1962, Leon in 1964, Roger in 1966 and Harold in 1969. However, after 17 years of many happy memories in this home, Leon and Karen bought a hobby farm, much like his parents, in

Olive

Township

at 128th and New

Holland

, and made this their new home in 1981.

During this time,

Leon

earned a living working in maintenance at

Holland

Die Cast for 10 years, Bohn Aluminum and later Donnelly Mirror. Then, in 1994, he went to work at JMS Inc., a metal stamping company owned and operated by his sons. Leon was so very proud of his sons and that he had a hand in starting this company, literally in his own barn. Here he continued to do what he did best, maintenance and driving a truck when needed. No matter where

Leon

worked, he was always hard working, never complained and did the best job he could with whatever task was at hand.

Aside from working hard,

Leon

also liked playing hard and having fun. A true outdoorsman and adventurer, he loved taking his Willy's Jeep trail riding or on an awe-inspiring color tour up north. In addition,

Leon

was a member of the two-cylinder Antique Tractor Club of Greater

Holland

and a die-hard fan of John Deere tractors. Like in his childhood,

Leon

loved to take his family camping in several of his travel trailers and have visited many sites throughout the state of

Michigan

. He even built a camper once, which came to be known as the sweatbox.

Leon

also enjoyed hunting, which he did in earlier years with his dad and brothers, and carried on this tradition with his sons. For many years, he kept up the maintenance of his friend Barney's cabin in the

Higgins

Lake

area, which was a great place for hunting. He would continue this deer camp tradition with his family and friends the rest of his life in that

Higgins

Lake

area.

Of all the great things in

Leon

's life, spending time with his loved ones towered above the rest. First and foremost, he adored his wife Karen. In his traditionalist manor he demonstrated his love for his wife by giving her gifts, including a cedar chest for their first year of dating, a diamond engagement ring the year after, and a special ring on their 40th anniversary. Leon still loved to go to Fricano's Pizza in Grand Haven, not just because they had great pizza, but that was where he and Karen had their first date. His chest always swelled with pride for his children while his heart melted like marshmallow when it came to his precious grandchildren. They were truly the shining beacon in his life and he happily spoiled them with all of "Gramps's" love.

Leon had been raised in the Christian church, and his action were proof of his believes. It wasn't necessary for him to tell others of his faith for his Christian commitment was always evident in the way he lived his life and raised his family. Leon and Karen began attending the North Holland Reformed Church when their children were growing up, but later attended Holland Baptist Church on East 24th Street.

Although

Leon

was a quiet and reserved man, he was always very reliable and trustworthy. His family and friends respected him greatly, both for his compassion and unconditional love. Leon was continually guided by strong values, values that helped him make a lasting impression on all the lives he touched. He will be greatly missed.

Leon

Ellis

Jordan

, age 64, of Olive Twp., MI, died at the Spectrum Hospital Downtown Campus on Sunday, November 6, 2005. He was preceded in death by his sister, Delores Hyma. His family includes his wife of 46 years, Karen Jordan; children: Jodie and Stacey Jones of Zeeland, Laurie and Jim DeHaan of Zeeland, Leon and Laurie Jordan of Zeeland, Roger and Kay Jordan of Shelbyville Kentucky, Herk and Stacey Jordan of Hamilton; 17 grandchildren, 1 great granddaughter; brothers: Erwin Jordan of Holland, Stuart Jordan of Plainwell, Delbert Jordan of Holland; in-laws: Roger Howard of Holland, Joel Howard of Scottville, Marie and Wayne Postma of Holland; several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Services will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, at

First

Baptist

Church

,

246 West Main Street, Zeeland, MI

, with the Rev. David Fortenberry and John McCarty officiating. Burial will be in

Restlawn

Memorial

Gardens

. Visiting will be 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 9, at the Northwood Chapel, Dykstra Life Story Funeral Home,

295 Douglas Avenue, Holland, MI

. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory, order flowers or make a memorial contribution to either the Rennuci House at Spectrum Heath or the ARDS Foundation of

Michigan

.