Grace Elizabeth (Grove) LaBrenz

Grace Elizabeth Grove LaBrenz passed away on Valentine’s Day at the age of 99 at Larchwood Inns in Grand Junction. She was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania, the youngest child of Rene Daniel Grove and Ruth Esther Klahr Grove. Grace lived in Middletown throughout her childhood, moving to the Philadelphia area with her parents as a young adult. She attended Beaver College in Philadelphia and transferred to Calvin College (now Calvin University) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in science. She met Frank Jim LaBrenz at Calvin, and they married in Grand Rapids shortly after they graduated in the class of 1949.

Jim and Grace moved to Denver in 1949 and to Grand Junction in 1952 where they stayed for the rest of their lives. Their son, James Michael, was born in Denver and the next three children, Tina Ruth, David Rene, and Jana Beth were born in Grand Junction. David Rene died in infancy in 1956. Grace was preceded in death by her husband Jim in 2018, after 69 years of marriage. She was also preceded in death by her parents, her older sister Gloria Grove Camilleri, and her older brother, Dr. Leon Grove.

Grace enjoyed cooking, gardening, handcrafts, coin collecting, and antique collecting. She was a lifelong member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church denomination and taught Sunday school for several decades. She was proud of writing a book in the 1980s, entitled Who Was First, about her father who was an artist, designer, and toymaker.

Survivors include her children, Mike (Carol) LaBrenz, and Tina (Carl) Chan, both of Grand Junction, and Jana (Tim) VanDam of Churchill, Montana. Grace is also survived by nine grandchildren: David (Britany) LaBrenz, Ann LaBrenz and Colleen LaBrenz; Janna Chan, Michael (Mari Tamura Ho) Chan, and Gloria (Regina Lam) Chan; Jake (Jackie) VanDam, Beth VamDam (Bryen Venema), and Becca (James) Boer. Grace has eight great-grandchildren: Emma, Audrey, and Claire LaBrenz; James, Nadine, and Noah VanDam; Peter and Henry Boer (with a third great-grandson baby Boer on the way). Grace is also survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins, and her sister-in-law, Anna LaBrenz of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Visiting Angels, particularly Patty and Kelly, for their loving care of Grace while she lived in her home. Thank you also to the staff members at Larchwood Inns who gave Grace kind, personal, and professional attention during Grace’s final ten months of her life. Bless you all for the work you do and the support you give to families.

Per Grace’s wishes, she will be buried beside her parents in a family plot in Roslyn, Pennsylvania. Grace’s family plans to gather in March to celebrate Grace’s life. For those who knew Grace, please consider a donation to a charity of your choice in Grace’s memory.