Dorothy Brondyke-Boehmer

Dorothy Brondyke-Boehmer lived in Holland, Michigan most of her life. It is the place she called home, and the place where she created a lifetime full of memories with her family and friends. People who knew Dorothy found it easy to describe her. Words like selfless, giving, dependable, and faithful come to mind in a moment. She loved her family, and her church, faithfully serving in whatever ways she could.

Settled in 1847, Holland, Michigan, located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, is a city best known for its rich Dutch history. In 1920, it was the home of Benjamin and Eunice (Bush) Dalman and their two daughters. On June 22, 1920, the family welcomed daughter number three, Dorothy, who would be the third of their four daughters – Marie, Lenore, Dorothy, and Evon. Dorothy was born at Holland Hospital, which was later the site of the Dutch Museum.

Dorothy grew up in Holland and attended Holland schools, having experienced the worst years of the Depression. Family and church were an important part of this young girl’s life, which centered on family gatherings and church activities. She had been taught by her mother to sew and embroider, talents that she enjoyed and used all her life. Living so close to Lake Michigan, a favorite pastime was going to the beach, especially Tunnel Park, which featured a tunnel right through a large sand dune.

Dorothy graduated from Holland High School in 1938, and found a job working at Meyer Music Store. She continued to meet with high school friends and formed a club which continued to get together for 50 years. Mutual friends introduced her to a gentleman named Louis Brondyke, and after dating for a while, the two were married on November 20, 1941 in Holland. Lou was in the service and they were married while he was home on a weekend pass.

Lou was stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, guarding the Locks. When he was reassigned to Baltimore, Maryland, Dorothy went along. While living in Baltimore, she worked at Glenn L. Martin Aircraft to do her part in aiding the war effort. However, Dorothy soon found out she was pregnant with their first child, and with Louis now serving in Germany, she became a mother to their son, Richard.

Wanting to be closer to family, Dorothy moved back to Holland, and began her new job as mother to baby Richard. Richard was eight months old when Louis finished his five years of Army duty and returned to his family in Holland. Dorothy and Louis bought a home on 38th Street and in 1948, they welcomed their second son, James. Dorothy loved being a mother and made sure the boys had a balanced day of work and play. Every summer they would take a week’s vacation on Crystal Lake. The boys were encouraged to take part in sports, with their parents right there, cheering them on. However, it was important that they learn responsibility and each boy had certain chores that were to be done at set times. They even kidded that you could set your watch by which chore was being done.

In the 1950’s and 60's, Dorothy worked as a seamstress for DeVries and Dornbos, a store specializing in custom window treatments. In the beginning, she and her sister Marie made draperies out of their home, but eventually Dorothy went to work in the store. She was always very proud of the fact that she had designed the drapes for Barbara Mandrell’s yacht, which could often be seen moored in nearby Saugatuck. With hard work and her “drapery money”, Dorothy was able to put both of her sons through Michigan State University, something else she was very proud of. She later became a salesperson and buyer for DeVries and Dornbos, and was very involved in consulting and interior design, retiring around the age of 70. She also liked to tell people that she had been the nanny who cared for Amos Alonzo Stagg’s – a famous collegiate coach in the first decades of the 20th century - grandchildren when they were in Michigan.

Dorothy took great pleasure in caring for their home and it was described as a “good clean Dutch home”, just the way she liked it. She was a great cook, especially when it came to baking. Her specialty was a coconut cream pie that made your mouth water just thinking about it. However, if you asked for a recipe , Dorothy sometimes “tweaked” it in some way to make it special so that yours never tasted quite like hers. She was also very good with money and budgeting, perhaps learned from those Depression years.

In the late 1970’s, Dorothy and Lou bought a small cottage near Rainbow Lake, close to where her sister Lenore also had a cottage. Dorothy loved spending her summers at the cottage and the rest of the time back home in Holland. Sadly, her beloved Louis died in 1980, leaving Dorothy to go on alone. However, while up north, she met a neighbor, a gentleman named Walter Boehmer and happiness came into her life once again when the two were married in 1990. In 1996, Dorothy suffered a stroke. Walter was by her side each and every day, tenderly caring for her until his death in 2000.

Dorothy Brondyke-Boehmer was a loving woman who brightened and enriched the lives of her loved ones and was very fun loving. Although she will be deeply missed, her legacy of love and dedication leaves her loved ones with wonderful memories and a strong foundation to look to for comfort.

Dorothy M. Brondyke-Boehmer, age 88, of Zeeland, died Sunday, November 9, 2008 at Heritage Health Care Center in Zeeland. Preceding her in death was her first husband, Louis Brondyke in 1980; her second husband, Walter Boehmer, in 2000, and her sister, Lenore Garvelink. Surviving are her 2 sons, Richard Lee and Mary Brondyke, of Clarkston, and James Roger and Cheryl Brondyke, of Finksburg, MD; 5 grandchildren, Kelly and Eddie Feeman, Karin and Dean Fenton, Kate and Dan Ochoa, Aaron Brondyke and Christine Zachai, and Rebecca and Adam Gerow; 9 great grandchildren; sisters, Marie VanEerden, and Evon and Robert Pluister; nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, 11:00a.m., at Maplewood Reformed Church. Officiating will be the Rev. Jason Semans. Burial will be in Pilgrim Home Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, from 7-9p.m. at the Downtown Chapel, Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes, 29 E. Ninth St. Please visit Dorothy’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may leave a favorite memory or sign the online guest book. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Holland.