Julian Joel Eskes, age 15, of Holland, Michigan passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 5, 2018. He was a student of Holland East School where he was in the 7th grade and a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holland. He was a family leader at East where he was widely known for his infectious smile and warm caring personality. Julian was an extremely gifted artist. He won several awards for his creations and designed the cover for the school yearbook two years in a row. He would often be called upon by his teacher to illustrate things for his class because she told us his artwork was far superior to hers and it became a bit of a joke which brought smiles and laughter to the class often. He loved to play the Pokémon games on his Nintendo DS and kept an art journal where he recreated the characters in vivid detail.
He is survived by his parents, Jonathan and Dana Eskes of Holland; siblings Cory Eskes and his wife Nicole of Holland, Aida Eskes of Holland, Ashley Eskes of East End, Arkansas, Jason Eskes of Holland, Seth Eskes and Lydia Eskes of Holland; grandparents Vern and Laurie Eskes of Zeeland and Rich and Bonnie Houting of West Olive along with great grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, William James Rietveld.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held for Julian at Christ Memorial Church, 595 Graafschap Rd. in Holland, on Friday, May 11, 2018. Visitation starting at 5:00 PM followed by the service at 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan/be nice, 349 S. Division Ave. Grand Rapids MI 49503.