Willem Willemsen deBock's Obituary
Big Rapids Willem Willemsen deBock, 91, of Big Rapids, passed away into the arms of the Lord Jesus on Monday, June 20, 2011, at his residence. He was born February 17, 1920, in Utrecht, Netherlands, one of 12 children of Gerhard Paulus Willemsen and Wilhelmina (Wels) deBock. On July 16, 1957 he married Josephina M. denDekker and they immigrated to the United States in December of 1962. Willem and Josephina raised their two sons in Greenville, Delaware. After surviving World War II, including an escape from forced labor in Berlin, he returned to live with his parents. He thrived on playing soccer, continuing competitively until immigrating at age 42. Willem worked as a government insurance representative in the Netherlands. After immigrating, he worked on the household staff of Henry Francis duPont, then as a delivery/salesman for a Bond Baking Company. He later worked a few challenging years in home delivery for a small diary before working for Winterthur Muesum until his retirement. Though he had little opportunity for schooling beyond the basics, he spoke Dutch, German, and English fluently, along with a bit of French and Polish thrown in. He always asked people where they were from in terms of their names, accents and forebearers' immigration. He enjoyed music and often listened to the opera greats. He sang in the choir of "The Flying Dutchman" when it was performed in Grand Rapids. He also sang in Trinity Fellowship's many choral productions, until his legs were not steady enough to endure a full performance. He loved his grandchildren and went to countless soccer games of those who lived nearby. He always enjoyed the competition and thought for sure that his grandchildren were the stars. In his later years the thrill of soccer continued as he would watch all or most of the World Cup games, or the European leagues (getting up early or staying up late to catch the games, even in the last year of his life). Bowling did not start filling that competitive hole until Wim (his nickname in Dutch) was already in his 50's. Though never a "great" bowler, his competitive drive led him to be on numerous championship teams. Willem was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, affectionately nicknamed "Jopie," in 2006. He is survived by his two sons and their families, Pastor Gerhard and Kathy deBock of Big Rapids, and their children Benjamin, Rebekah (and Patrick Rich), and Matthew; and Will and Carol Brooke-deBock and their children Cory, Aaron, Morgan, and Forrest of Marlboro, Vermont; and several siblings in the Netherlands and Australia, nieces, and nephews. Funeral services will be at 11:00 am, Tuesday, June 28, at Mohnke Funeral Home. Burial will follow in the Highland View Cemetery. The family will greet friends at the funeral home on Monday, from 6-8 pm and on Tuesday, beginning at 10:00 am.
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