Shawn Wiersma

Shawn Douglas Wiersma was an incredibly kind person who welcomed everyone as a friend. With his great sense of humor and love for others, Shawn could easily converse with anyone from a child on the street to a judge in the courtroom. He treated people with the same respect whether they were a long-time golfing buddy or someone he had just met.

1968 was an exciting time to be alive. As millions of baby-boomers nationwide were reaching maturity, they were creating quite a stir in national politics. While the Vietnam War was being waged abroad, protests were staged to fight for peace. Due to the controversy, President Lyndon B. Johnson refused to accept presidential re-nomination. Meanwhile on the cultural front, the British Invasion still reigned supreme in the music world, and millions of crazed fans were listening to the Beatle’s latest album, “Sgt. Pepper.” It was in the midst of this excitement Peter and Julane “Julie” (Mulder) Wiersma were making news of their own. It was in that historic year that the couple welcomed their son Shawn Douglas on April 16th.

In order to support their growing family, Peter worked full time at Steelcase for over thirty years. Meanwhile, Julie dedicated her time to being a full time mother, and active volunteer at Bible Study Fellowship. As a child, Shawn was very close to his family. His father grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, and he and his parents spent a lot of time there. Shawn’s grandparent’s home was very important to him. During the time Shawn spent at the farm watching deer and fishing, Shawn learned a great deal about hard work and developed a love for the outdoors. Because Shawn loved visiting the farm so much, he fostered a strong relationship with his grandfather. The farm was a place to simply enjoy nature. Other family vacations were spent visiting Grandpa and Grandma Mulder in Bradenton, FL. Shawn and his family made their home at 3991 104th Ave. north of Zeeland, Michigan.

Growing up as the third boy in a family of four, Shawn quickly learned the value of hard work. From an early age Shawn was a happy and agreeable young man. As a toddler he was always smiling and he was constantly cheerful. Because he was an outgoing child, he had no trouble making friends at school. Shawn began his educational career at Zeeland Christian School. In middle school he began to play soccer and basketball. Shawn continued to enjoy sports as an adult playing softball, volleyball, basketball and golf. He played softball on a team with his dad and brothers for years. Though he loved to play sports he also took both piano and trombone lessons. However, he still made time to do well in school. In eighth grade, after writing an essay, he was selected to be a part of the eight grade history trip, and visited Washington D.C. along with other historical sites.

Although Shawn was an active young man, he still made time for what was most important to him: his faith. While in college, Shawn made a profession of his faith at Haven Christian Reformed Church. This was a real turning point in his life, and his parents were incredibly thankful. While growing up, he participated in the Cadet program at Haven Christian Reformed Church. As a Cadet he won several Pinewood Derby car championships with his dad’s help. Because of his strong Christian values, Shawn fostered a close relationship with his brothers. With four boys in the family, Shawn never had his own room, and instead shared a bedroom with his brother Travis for many years. Unfortunately, the second floor of the house only had one heat register and it got very cold. Although the boys usually got along, they did sometimes fight. The brothers often fought over a pair of pants referred to as “green jeans”, which they remember to this day. As Shawn grew, his early interest in hunting began to heighten. He, his father, and brothers would often walk the family hunting ground in Falmouth Michigan where they enjoyed partridge, and deer hunting. His love for music also matured as he grew older. His appreciation for music ranged from Beethoven to Tony Bennett to Jimmy Buffet. He graduated from Holland Christian High School in 1986. While in school he saved money for college by working in the mailroom at Holland Motor Express. His first car was a Brown Chevy Chevette hand-me down from his father that Shawn nearly wore the tires off.

With the money Shawn earned from working, he was able to pay his own way through college. He started his collegiate career at Calvin College, then transferred to Grand Valley State University. As he entered school and developed, he continued to find out who he was as a person and a Christian. During his years at Grand Valley, Shawn really grounded himself and made changes in his life. While attending college, he worked at Van Hill Furniture in Zeeland. He also worked summers at Steelcase, once in the maintenance department. Although he was not the most skilled person in the maintenance department, he learned a lot of skills that he would take with him later in life.

With his various work experiences, it was not surprising that he was interested in various areas of study. When Shawn started at Grand Valley he was an Accounting major and then later changed to Human Resources. Eventually, however, Shawn found himself enjoying pre-law. When he decided to apply to Law School, he wrote a letter to various schools. In this letter he explained that he wanted to attend law school to thoroughly understand the law, even if he did not end up practicing law. Throughout college Shawn devoured as much reading material as he could. He read the newspaper everyday and also enjoyed various periodicals. Shawn always kept a list of books near him that he needed to read in the future, and he usually would. His interest in literature varied as greatly as his taste in music.

Because of Shawn’s wide knowledge base and love for learning, he was the perfect candidate for law school. He decided to attend Indiana University. When he completed his coursework, Shawn graduated from IU Law School “cum laude”. Following law school, he returned home to live with his parents. During those three years he formed a special relationship with them as an adult child. He worked for a lawyer in Grand Rapids and studied for the bar. After becoming a lawyer, he and another attorney formed a partnership in Grand Rapids. During this time he practiced a lot of family law. Later he joined Baxter Law Firm in Grand Rapids where he worked primarily on bankruptcy and collections law. Most recently he was an associate of Cunningham Dalman in Holland.

Although Shawn was very happy to be a lawyer, he was a man of diverse interests. Soon he began teaching one class per semester of Constitutional Law or Criminal Law at Grand Valley. Though working as a lawyer during the day and a teacher at night kept him very busy, he would never consider quitting teaching. Shawn loved to teach so much that he even volunteered for the Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournaments, where he served as the judge. Shawn was very well respected by his students. When his students evaluated him at the end of each semester they always gave him rave reviews. One student even stated that, “He was the best thing since sliced bread!” Shawn tried to make every aspect of his classes interesting. Even when he wrote the tests he would include the names of his family and friends in order to add a personal note to the exams and just to humor himself.

Shawn was not too busy to foster a romance. Shawn knew his future wife, Gail Gold, as a friend for a long time before they began dating. However, May 10, 2003 while sitting at the Tulip Time Saturday Parade together, something clicked between them; suddenly the couple saw each other in a different light. Soon the couple made plans for their first date. In order to remember the special occasion, Shawn made a note of it on his own version of a palm pilot: a tri-fold piece of paper on which he made countless lists. On May 25, 2003 the couple enjoyed their first date at the Everyday People Café in Douglas, Michigan. Shawn was so excited about the date, in fact, that he actually called his brother Travis before the date to share the news and ask for advice. After spending three hours talking, Shawn and Gail knew they had found true love.

When Shawn met Gail, everyone noticed a difference in him. Suddenly he was happier. As Gail’s mother said, “It was a marriage made in heaven.” Even Travis noticed a change in Shawn. Travis knew Shawn better than most anyone. Over the past five years they grew close both as brothers and friends. Travis was thrilled for his brother when he met Gail, because he knew that Shawn had found the love of his life. Shawn and Gail were married on Saturday March 6, 2004. Although Shawn and Gail were busy with their work, they enjoyed their time together and with friends. Summer Saturdays were often spent together beginning with a workout at the gym, coffee at JP’s, a trip to the Farmer’s Market, and an afternoon at the beach. Fortunately, the loving couple was able to spend one last special weekend together. After golfing, resting, and relaxing at Crystal Mountain, he silently hugged Gail and they stepped into their car. Only a few hours later he would no longer be with us.

After 36 years of a life filled with love and family, Shawn was killed instantly in a car accident in Northern Michigan on Monday September 6, 2004, with his wife, Gail, at his side. Shawn was a lawyer and teacher who most recently worked at Cunningham Dalman Law Firm in Holland, where he handled all of the ordinance prosecutions for the city. His family includes wife Gail Gold Wiersma of Holland, MI.; Parents Peter and Julie Wiersma of Zeeland; grandmother Jeanette Wiersma of Randolph, WI.; Brothers Chad and Jill Wiersma of Holland, MI. (their children Kristin, Adam, and Zachary), Brett and Jodi Wiersma of Zeeland, MI.(their children Jenni, Tyler, Samuel, Benjamin, and Lydia), Travis and Megan Wiersma of Barrington, IL.; Parents in law William and Bonnie Gold of Ft. Myers, FL.; sister in law Jennifer Gold of Los Angeles, CA.; many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Services are 10 a.m. Saturday at Dimnent Chapel on the campus of Hope College in Holland, MI. with Rev. Kenneth Van Wyk, officiating. Visiting is 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday September 9th, 2004 and 7-9 pm Friday September 10, 2004 at the Downtown Chapel Dykstra Life Story Funeral Home 29 east 9th Street Holland, MI.

Shawn was an exceptional man who will be remembered for his active and loving lifestyle. Though he accomplished many great things for many people, he will be remembered most of all as a man of integrity, truth, and faith.

Today's verse: Rejoice with those who rejoice; and mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15 NIV