Martha Duquette

Martha A. (Rice) Duquette, age 96, of Holland passed away Friday, September 20, 2024, at Addington Place of Lakeside Vista.

Martha met her husband Don when she was a waitress at a local diner in their hometown, Manistique, Michigan. She and Don were charter members of Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Church. She was a woman of Faith, and she had a beautiful relationship with Jesus Christ.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Duquette in 2017; daughter, Donna Marie Duquette in 1958; and three great grandsons, Zachary, Isaac, and Jacob Den Bleyker.

Martha is survived by her children: Donald N. and Kathy J. Duquette of Ann Arbor, Martha and Rich Mark of Whitehall, and Debbie and Wayne Laarman of Holland; three granddaughters; Rachel (Laarman) Den Bleyker, Gail (Duquette) Chapman and Crystal (Laarman) Maynard; and eight great grandchildren; sisters-in-law, JoAnn Duquette of Ludington; and Betty Lasich of Manistique, MI, and many nieces and nephews.

Martha was extraordinarily kind, compassionate and hard-working and she passed those traits on to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. In the nine and a half decades she has been on this earth she has lived, loved and thrived through a depression, a World War, multiple other world conflicts, and poverty. As a girl she could only wear her shoes on special days and rode to town on a mule or her brother's bike. Born dirt floor poor, she saw advancements in indoor plumbing, heat, electricity, all sorts of transportation changes with cars, trains and airplanes. She embraced technology and would tell Alexa to play worship music or Dean Martin or Andy Williams. Not allowed to finish high school, she persevered and graduated high school in her 30s. She worked many jobs while raising her children. In 1958 she suffered the unimaginable loss of 10-year-old Donna Marie to complications from Type 1 diabetes. For nearly 60 years she and her husband Don built a comfortable life in Holland. They enjoyed camping and traveling and spent many winters in Florida.

She will never be forgotten by her granddaughters and great grandchildren who say: “Nana, the lasting memories you made changed our lives. Your spirit always shows through and our hearts ache with the memories you and Grandpa have given us. Thank you for the love, the time, and so much listening. You are our hero.”

Funeral services will be at 11:00 am, Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Church, 480 N. 152nd Avenue in Holland. Father Michael Burt will be officiating. Visitation will precede the funeral, from 10 to 11 AM at the church. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Manistique, MI, at 11 AM, Tuesday, October 22.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the American Diabetes Association or Wings of Hope Hospice of Allegan.

Arrangements by Dykstra Funeral Homes – Northwood Chapel.