Hanna Grayce Apol Obbink

Hanna Grayce Apol Obbink was born in Davenport, Iowa. She lived briefly in Norman, Oklahoma, and grew up in East Lansing with her mother, Laura Apol, and her older brother, Jesse Obbink. Hanna spent summers during her childhood in Benbrook, Texas, with her father, John Obbink. Recently, she moved to Saginaw, Michigan. Throughout her adult life, she put forth great effort to stay connected to her extended family, and felt a particular connection to Sioux Center, IA.

Hanna was a powerful presence in the world. As someone recently said, you never had to wonder if Hanna was in the room or not. She was a beloved child of God, and lived her life with fierce passion, creativity, energy, and compassion for others.

As a young person, Hanna developed diverse talents and enjoyed being part of many groups of her peers. She participated in the Edgewood United Church youth choir and bell choir; in 2004, Hanna played the role of Amahl’s mother in the opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with other members of the youth choir. Hanna also enjoyed playing soccer, running cross country, and horseback riding; she played the viola in the school orchestras.

Hanna graduated from East Lansing High School in 2009 and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013 from Michigan State University’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH). She was a sensitive and courageous poet; as a member of the MSU Poetry Slam Team, she was much admired for the power of her performances.

Throughout her life, Hanna poured energy into a commitment to help those around her. In 2013, she was one of two RCAH students who led a group of middle school students from the Lansing area Edgewood Village Scholars Program (EVSP) to Asan, South Korea as part of the Asan Greater Lansing Youth Exchange Program. Following that visit, she collaborated with the Lansing Sister Cities Commission to help create language learning, musical traditions and performance activities for students from South Korea and the EVSP students. She also taught English as a Second Language as an intern at the Refugee Development Center in Lansing.

After graduating from MSU, Hanna took on the challenge of working at EVE, Inc. (End Violent Encounters) in Lansing, building on her prior volunteer work with the Capital Area Response Effort (CARE). After Hanna moved to Saginaw, she was pleased to become Office Manager at the Children's Zoo at Celebration Square. She also was a skilled and popular yoga and fitness instructor, teaching in both Lansing and Saginaw. Throughout her life, she loved her pets, each a rescue animal.

She will live on in the hearts her mother, Laura, her brother, Jesse, her grandfather, Dallas Apol; her father, John Jr., and grandmother, Donna Obbink; her large and diverse extended family, and a wide community of friends.

She joins now her grandfather, John Obbink, and her beloved grandmother, Gladys Apol, with whom she shared a special connection and intense bond of love.

Hanna brought a light to the world that blazed radiantly. Her too-short life reminds us of the words of Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”

Service details: Edgewood United Church, East Lansing Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Hanna to Ingham County Animal Control, Mason at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/icasf or Refugee Development Center, Lansing at http://www.refugeedevelopmentcenter.org/volunteer/donate/.