Jack Elenbaas

Jack Dean Elenbaas lived life with a sense of adventure. The dreams he formed in childhood became a reality in adulthood. The imagination of his mind took shape in the skill of his hands. Jack shared his passion for life with all he met, his children and grandchildren and lifelong friends, but most of all his beloved wife Phyllis. He valued his relationship with her through thick and thin, it was what he enjoyed most, seldom were they ever seen apart.

Jack was born to Jacob and Jeanette (Sluiter) Elenbaas in McBain, Michigan on October 28, 1937. It was a decade of economic turmoil at home and political unrest in Europe. American families found inspiration from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats and continued to make a life for their children amid the hardships of the Great Depression.

Along with his older sister Beatrice (Fern) and younger sister Sheryl, Jack grew up secure in the care of his mother, who as many mothers did at the time left him only to work for the "war effort" in Cadillac and his always hard working father. Young Jack was an enterprising boy, who delivered the Cadillac evening newspaper to townsfolk. As he did so, he regularly walked past the airport and routinely told himself " Someday I want to fly airplanes". After having to limit his efforts to only building many models of them as a youngster he was able to follow his dream in adulthood, and fly he did!

Spending his formative years in Cadillac, Jack moved with his family to a farm in McBain when he was a freshman in high school. Life on a hobby farm was good, filled with many stories to tell, not the least of which was how he met his future wife.

Jack met Phyllis Marie Harris on a bridge in the nearby town of Marion on a Labor Day weekend. She was “hunting boys,” quite frankly, and the park downtown on Hwy 66 was the spot that netted results. Perhaps because he was two years older than she, Jack was not shy to meet a lovely young lady, and a budding relationship soon developed. Over the course of their courtship, the two of them took many drives together, which is what small town kids did back in the day.

Jack had graduated from McBain High School in 1955 and was working at Consumers Energy when the loving couple married in 1957. They made their vows in the parsonage of the Reformed Church in Lucas, another small town in the area. That same year, Jack transferred to Overisel, Michigan and the newlyweds soon settled in to family life. Within the next ten years, Jack and Phyllis were blessed with six children: Lynn in 1957, Connie in 1958, Susan in 1959, Jack Jr. in 1961, .Gregory in 1962 and Shawn in 1967.

Even as family life took center stage, Jack did not forget his childhood dream. He had taken his first flying lesson as a young man in Cadillac and received a pilot’s license in the 1960s. He flew out of Tulip City Airport in Holland, Michigan and joined the Southside Flying Club. Not only did he fly planes, he built them. As a member of the EAA (Experimental Air Plane) club, Chapter 211 of Grand Haven, Michigan, Jack built a number of the planes he flew. At one point, he even sold one of his airplanes to a man in England. Such was the craft of a man who liked to work with his hands. He also built a lot of furniture, and though he didn’t always finish the projects he started, Jack just loved to tinker.

After 36 years of valuable service to Consumers Energy, Jack retired in 1993 and had all the more time to fly and spend time with his family. He took everyone flying, and he especially enjoyed it when his grandkids came for a visit. The dinner table expanded with food and family as Jack and Phyllis prepared meals with no less than four meats for all their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Sadly, Jack died Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan following heart surgery.

Jack’s robust love of life remains an inspiration to his family and all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Jack Dean Elenbaas Sr., age 71 of Overisel, is survived by his wife of 52 years: Phyllis Marie (Harris) Elenbaas; Children: Lynn and Luanne Elenbaas, Connie and Kelvin Laarman, Susan and Woody Irons, Jack Jr. and Deb Elenbaas, Gregory Elenbaas, Shawn and Sue Elenbaas, special friends Mike and Tammy (Levi) Andringa, 12 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sister Sheryl and Calvin Sikkema; in-laws, Pat and Ron Voss, Eugene and Margie Harris, Leon and Marty Harris, Clyde Harris, Gary Harris, Basil Harris and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Services will be 1 PM Saturday, October 24, 2009 at The Overisel Reformed Church, where Jack was a member. The Rev. Scott Lokers will officiate. Visitation will be 2-4 and 7-9 PM Friday at The Mulder Chapel Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes, 188 West 32nd Street, Holland MI. Burial will be made in Overisel Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the The Young Eagles in care of The EAA of Grand Haven, MI. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to sign Jack’s online registry, share a photo or memory.