Theresa was a member of Maplewood Reformed Church for many years.
She was preceded in death by her husband John; daughter Thelma VanOss; son Vern VanOss; and four great-grandchildren.
She is survived by children Judy (Dar) Koops, Nancy (Ken) Kortering, Carol Hightower, and Steve (Anna) VanOss; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren; daughter-in-law Jan VanOss; brother-in-law Howard VanOss; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 7:00 PM at Maplewood Reformed Church - 133 E 34th St, Holland, MI 49423.
Theresa’s family would like to extend special thanks to Resthaven Maple Woods and LifeCircles for their care and support.
Theresa's Life Story in Her Own Words (written in 2013):
Theresa is a cheerful little lady who describes herself as somewhat shy and not very talkative. She has a quiet nature, but she’s full of energy. She says that over the years she has become more friendly and finds it easier to meet people. She enjoys playing cards with other ladies Maple Woods.
Theresa was born and raised in West Olive outside of Holland. Her father worked for the railroad and her mother was a homemaker raising Theresa and her 2 brothers and 4 sisters. Her grandfather lived with them also. Theresa was second from the youngest and is the only one still living. She attended school through the 8th grade and would have liked to on to high school, but the family did not have transportation to get her there. So for a few years, Theresa worked in a factory and ran her own cleaning business. However, after she married, she stayed home to raise her 6 children.
Theresa’s girlfriend introduced her to her husband, John. They were married for over 67 years and he passed away in 2012. Theresa said her husband could fix anything and had a great personality. He was loving, friendly, and talkative. They enjoyed going out for breakfast and riding on his motorcycle. One of her favorite memories is of a trip they took to Copper Harbor, MI to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. She says it was a wonderful vacation with pretty scenery and a boat trip on Lake Superior. Although they would have liked to travel more, they could not afford it. Theresa was able to travel to Arizona numerous times to visit her sisters however.
Of her 6 children, Theresa has lost 2. One of her daughters was born with severe handicaps and although she lived to the age of 3 1/2, she always remained in the baby stage. Theresa and her husband kept her at home with them and took care of her until her death. Also her oldest son died of bone cancer at the age of 57. She describes how difficult it was to see him suffer in such pain. Her other 4 children all live in the area and she loves when they visit along with her 12 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. She is very proud of them all.
Theresa’s faith means a lot to her and has helped her throughout her life. Her son’s illness strengthened that faith even more. She attends Maplewood Reformed Church on Sundays and enjoys reading psalms every evening. She doesn’t dread getting older and hopes for something better in heaven someday.
Theresa used to do jigsaw puzzles, but not so much now. She reads and walks 2 miles every day, 1 mile in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. She admits she loves chocolate candy. Thunderstorms scare her, but she’s mostly easy-going and doesn’t get sad. Although she suffers some hearing loss, she’s generally healthy. Her best advice to others is to always be cheerful and not to worry. Life will always be better that way.
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