Lisa M. Dunlap

Lisa Marie Dunlap, beloved daughter of Winton Lee Dunlap and Helen Marie Dunlap, passed away on January 12, 2026, after a brief but brave fight against cancer. She is survived by her brother, Dennis and two daughters, Rose and Sophia. She was preceded in death by her father (1960) and mother (1986), and two sisters, Carolyn (1951) and Carla (2025). Lisa was born on September 18, 1959, in Muscatine, Iowa.

In 1965, Lisa, with her mother, brother, and sister Carla, moved to Holland, Michigan. Lisa attended West Ottawa Schools and graduated in 1978. She attended Grand Valley State University and graduated with a degree in Russian Studies. Her employment was in the banking industry. She was well-liked at her place of employment in Zeeland.

Lisa loved to travel and go camping. She even went skydiving twice! Camping trips were taken to Colorado, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Canada, and northern Michigan. She loved the Upper Peninsula and Wilderness State Park. Her travels included Arizona, Savannah, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, the Soviet Union, Ukraine, China, France, Switzerland, Greece, Malta, Bulgaria, Italy, Israel, and Ireland.

Lisa loved animals. She helped save and find homes for many cats. She loved her dogs Story and Scribble. She has three remaining pets: Buffy, Tommy, and Alma. Other pets included squirrels, Guinea pigs, fish, and mice.

After careful consideration, she decided to adopt children. In 2001, she traveled to Jiangxi, China to adopt Sophia, and in 2003, she traveled to Hunan, China to adopt Rose. Sophia is now 26 and working on a PhD in cancer biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Rose is now 23 and graduated from Central Michigan University and is working in the marketing industry.

Lisa became ill in August of 2025. She was finally diagnosed with esophageal cancer in November. She endured much pain and suffering. She vowed to fight. However, the cancer had progressed too far. She is now with her heavenly father, her earthly father who passed away when she was 8 months old, her mother, and her beloved pets Ben, Voishka, Scribble, Story, and Pounce.

The family will receive visitors on Tuesday, January 20, from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, at the Dykstra Funeral Home - Mulder Chapel, 188 West 32nd Street, Holland. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am, on Wednesday, January 21, at Immanuel Church, 325 104th Ave, Holland. Pastor Alyn Goossen presiding. Interment in Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Holland.