Hermoine "Hermie" Zylman

It has been said that the more content you are with yourself, the fewer material things you need. Hermoine “Hermie” Zylman lived such a life, one not filled with material possessions, but with the things that matter most – family, friends and faith. She enjoyed the simple pleasures in life and it was the people who were most important, not the place. A devoted mother and grandmother, Hermie was both blessed by and a blessing to those she loved.

Hermoine was born on October 3, 1925, in Zeeland, Michigan to John and Agnes (Rhoda) Ozinga. Hermie, as she was called, lived in Zeeland all 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. She received her education in the Zeeland Public Schools and donned cap and gown to graduate with the class of 1943.

Hermie married the love of her life, Gordon Zylman, on June 12, 1948, and they were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Jane and Nancy. While Gordon worked to provide for the family, Hermie devoted herself to the role of a mother, wanting to raise her girls well. An excellent example, she taught her daughters good habits and strong values that would guide them through their lives. Hermie and Gordon had a wonderful marriage, one that lasted over 41 years, until Gordon’s death in 1989. These years marked many of the happiest moments in Hermie’s life.

Church was also very important to Hermie, and she was a faithful member of the Maranatha Christian Reformed Church for a long time. Her strong faith and Christian commitment was always evident in the way she lived her life, and treated others. Sitting in heaven’s garden, watching over her beloved family, Hermie will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Hermoine “Hermie” R. Zylman, age 83, of Holland, MI died on Monday, August 17, 2009, at Resthaven Care Center. She is survived by her daughters, Jane and Dennis Bouman of West Olive, and Nancy Walcott of Holland; grandchildren: Christopher and Catherine Bouman, and Kelli and Jeremy Rantz; great grandchildren, Atalie and Ava Bouman; brothers, Bernard and Linda Ozinga of Zeeland, and Morris and Sharon Ozinga; and sister-in-law, Carolyn Boer of Holland. Hermie was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon, in 1989.

The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, at the Mulder Chapel of Dykstra Life Story Funeral Home, 188 W. 32nd Street, Holland. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19, at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Resthaven Memorial Fund. Please visit Hermie’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory with her family or sign her online guest book.