Paul Martin Geerlings, 82, of Holland, Michigan, passed away on June 15, 2026. Born on April 11, 1944, in Zeeland, Michigan, Paul was the tenth of twelve children and was raised on a farm, the site of which is now Geerlings Farm Park on 96th Street in Zeeland. He attended Zeeland Christian through ninth grade and graduated from Holland Christian High School in 1962.
Throughout his life, Paul was surrounded by large machinery, farm equipment, and automobiles, and from a young age, he was familiar with driving and repairs. In high school, he worked at his brother-in-law’s auto repair shop. After graduation, he continued driving truck, working in auto and parts sales, and working as a mechanic.
This work continued when Paul joined the Navy as a Seabee in 1968 and served a tour at Camp Campbell in Vietnam, where, beginning at the rank of E-5, he balanced hands-on project execution with supervising construction, managing logistics, and mentoring junior personnel. He returned home in 1970 but remained in the Reserves until 1974.
After his return from the service, Paul married Jan Van Haitsma in 1971. Together, they had two children, Renae and Ross.
Through the ensuing years, Paul had a variety of careers, including owning and operating the service station in Bentheim, Michigan, then owning and operating Doc’s Sales, before moving on to drive semi for Burke Energy and Zeeland Farm Services. From there, he was promoted to dispatcher and then Operations Manager at TLC.
The work he loved most, though, was his tenure as Ottawa County Drain Commissioner from 2000 to 2012. Paul took great pride in, and felt deep camaraderie with, his team and his years there gave him great enjoyment.
Like many men of his age, Paul tended toward the stoic, and as such, we can know him best by the things in which he took great pride. He loved to share stories of his two children’s exploits and repeated them, perhaps annoyingly, to whoever would listen over the years. He and Jan also loved to travel and visited many places around the world. Paul was deeply patriotic and proudly marched in uniform in parades. He was last seen this past week in uniform, saluting the flag at the Elks Lodge Flag Day ceremony.
He was thrilled to let people know that he had been to all 50 states, and his love of the American West was evident in the hours he spent watching programs like Lonesome Dove and Gunsmoke, as well as in the many western novels he read from the library; so many, in fact, that he had to start the list over and read some of them a second time.
His favorite places on earth were the hills of Colorado and Montana and the forests of Michigan, where he spent many weeks hunting and roaming the wild. Maybe his greatest joy, though, was driving. Paul started driving young and drove every chance he got, both for work as a truck driver and commercial driver and recreationally. “You want to go for a drive?” was a commonly heard phrase in his house. There were very few times anyone ever found Paul in the passenger seat.
After retiring from Ottawa County, he couldn’t stand to sit around, so he began 14 years of freelance driving for places like Janssen Farms Hatchery, De Nooyer Chevrolet, and Wyrick Auto.
Paul is survived by his wife, Jan (Van Haitsma) Geerlings; his children, Renae (Tyler Mane) Geerlings and Ross (Michelle) Geerlings; his grandchildren, Elle Geerlings, Shania (Kyle) Fults, and Lysander Karolat; and his siblings, Evelyn and Dave. He was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Reka Geerlings, and his siblings, Harvey, Robert, Ruth, Arloa, Rose, Marian, Bob, Ethel, and Carolyn.
Memorial visitation will be held at Faith Reformed Church Zeeland, 220 W. Central Ave., Zeeland, Michigan 49464, on June 27, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. A funeral service will follow from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., with lunch afterward.
