Doris Vander Kooi, age 98, passed away on July 2, 2026. Born on July 9, 1927, in the Holland area, Doris was the daughter of Nicklaus Kolean and Anna Kolean, and she spent most of her life in the area she called home. From the beginning, there was a bright, lively spirit about Doris—an energy that showed itself in the way she served, the way she loved, and the steady presence she offered to those around her.
After high school, Doris attended nursing school and graduated with her nursing license. She went on to spend much of her nursing career caring for patients as an OBGYN nurse, a role she held with deep commitment and lasting pride. Her work was not simply what she did—it was one of the clearest expressions of who she was: attentive, capable, and fully invested in the well-being of others.
Doris met her husband, Elias Vander Kooi, through a blind date. They dated for five years before getting engaged, and in 1950 the pair were married. Together they welcomed six children into the world. In 1956, with three children at home and another on the way, Doris and Elias moved into the house that would be their home for the next 70 years. After the tragic loss of their daughter Linda Devore, Doris and Elias took in her children and helped raise them the best they could, offering stability, care, and love when it was needed most. In November of 2003, Doris lost her husband of 53 years, a sorrow that lingered and was felt for a long time.
Faith was central to Doris’s life. Those who knew Doris knew that she loved her faith, and she was often found with books all around her—everything from the Bible to her current reading. She was deeply involved in Fellowship Reformed Church as one of the founding members. Doris and her family were the ones that originally picked the name for the church, and her devotion was woven into its earliest days: Doris hand made the first communion cloth used at the church, and Elias made the first pulpit. Her voice also became part of the church’s life, as she loved to sing and was part of the church choir for quite some time. At home, she often sang hymns around the house while doing housework—moments that could bring a hush over everything, settling the whole house with a quiet sense of peace.
Doris also found joy in the work of her hands. She loved to garden and grew a wide range of fruits and vegetables—though, as many remember with a knowing smile, the gardening only happened after she had the kids out there to weed it for her first. She was known for her canning skills, preserving the harvest in jars of strawberry's, corn, half peaches and many more. That same steady skill showed in the gardening she put into knitting. As she made knitted Afghans by hand for each of her children—gifts that carried warmth in every stitch.
Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Elias Vander Kooi; her children Deb Berghorst, Steven Vander Kooi, and Linda Devore; her parents, Nicklaus Kolean and Anna Kolean.
Doris is survived by her children Paul (Lugene) Vander Kooi, Jon (Linda) Vander Kooi, and Joan (Bill) Agre; her grandchildren Chrys (Leon) Hedding, Rebecca Vander Kooi, Tobias Westenbroek, Anna (Fred)Arbogast, Tamara Devore, Osceola Devore, Deanna Vander Kooi, and Daniel Vander Kooi; and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was a vibrant woman of immense faith and love who will be deeply missed by those who knew her and those whose lives she touched.
Visitation will be held on July 9, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by the Funeral Service from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Both the visitation and service will be held at Fellowship Reformed Church (2165 W Lakewood Blvd, Holland, MI 49424).
Interment will take place at Zeeland City Cemetery.
