entered through an opening beside one of the farm buildings. We continued this approach until the time of our move.

Mention should be made that at some point in time after Jay came to live with us, we pooled our resources, and purchased a car. Good used cars were difficult to find, because cars were not produced during the war, and were only beginning to appear at dealerships in 1946. We were not in the market for a new one, but even if we had been, we would have been on a long waiting list. Consequently, trade-ins were scarce. There was a man in Zeeland by the name of Donald Cook who dealt on the black market, and was always able to find cars. We went to look at what I think was a 1938 Olds and bought it. We paid a big price for it. We would ride together. Jay would drop me off at the bank, and he would proceed to Hope College. At the end of the day, he would pick me up and we rode home together. The car seems to have performed quite well, but it certainly was no economy model. When Jay was ready to leave for New York, we dissolved our partnership, sold the car at a much depreciated price, and split the benefits.

We stayed in this farm house the winter of 1946. At this time also, Woody was born. Another memorable experience was having our road blocked with snow from time to time. At such times, we would park the car on 96th Avenue, and then walk in, which was maybe between 1/4 and 1/2 mile. On normal days this was not too bad, but at one point, our fuel supply began to run low, and we picked up a couple of burlap bags in Zeeland, put them in our trunk, parked the car alongside 96th, and then we each carried a bag of coal on our backs all the way from there to our home. On clear roads this wouldn't have been all that bad, but with snow drifts and stormy conditions, it wasn't very pleasant. And of course, two bags of coal didn't last very long.

We moved out of the Ver Plank home sometime possibly in the Spring or early Summer of 1947. I'm not exactly sure. We moved into the house that Dad was having built on Port Sheldon, west of Borculo. The home was not yet completed, but we moved in just the same. It also seems to me that Jay came with us, and lived with us for a short time in this house, but after awhile he left for New York, where he pursued his medical studies. We in turn looked around for another place to live, and we finally located an upstairs apartment at 43 West McKinley in Zeeland. The home was owned by a Mrs. Klanderman. She was a widow. As I recall, we either paid $13.00 or $15.00 in the Summertime, and $10.00 or $12.00 in the Winter. The reason for the difference was that in the Winter she allowed for my work in carrying fuel into her house. Her coal and wood were located in the garage behind the house, and everyday supplies had to be brought into her house and placed beside her stove. The apartment wasn't much. For one thing, it had a very steep stairway which led to the upstairs. The kitchen ceiling was so low that you could reach your hand up just a short distance and touch the ceiling. The rest of the house was sizable enough except that the entire house was nothing but a shell, and very difficult to heat in the Winter. It was here that Marv and Casey came to visit us one day. We suspected that the purpose for their visit was to claim the Leica camera which I had purchased for Marv in Germany. After visiting for awhile, I mentioned to him the fact that I had obtained a Leica camera for him, the exact model he had requested. He was surprised and couldn't believe it. I had written to him and told him I was able to find such a camera, and would take it along home with me. He never received the letter, and therefore had no knowledge of it. I brought the camera out and showed it to him. His eyes lit up as he examined it thoroughly. He couldnÕt believe he really owned a Leica at the very reduced price I had paid for it. He bought us a small camera which served us well for many years.

For a number of years following dad's second marriage, the relationship with his children suffered. Undoubtedly this was not entirely his fault, but when we continued to hear reports from him regarding Aggie's children, and about his involvement with them, we began to feel cut off from his concern for us. Looking back, this certainly was not true, but we were quick to perceive it as such. The estrangement became more pronounced with passing years. Aggie was a wonderful woman, but sad to say we never appreciated her goodness until after my father's death. With the passing of time it seems that Dad became less and less enamored by her family, and he began to try to reestablish the relationship we so long enjoyed. He would stop at the bank and talk, I would stop occasionally at the school where he worked, and he would come by himself to our house just to talk. The relationship which meant so much to us for so long was again coming to expression. The love and understanding which we formerly enjoyed were returning when one night we were informed that he had died of a heart attack. Following his death we became closely associated with Aggie, and only wished that the understanding and appreciation had occurred earlier. I miss my dad. He was a wonderful father. My one regret is that I waited too long to tell him so. He died at age 74 on June 7, 1957, twenty years after my mother.

Aggie continued to live at the Lincoln Street address. My job every Fall was to remove the screens and wash the windows and storm windows before putting them up. In the Spring I would take the storm windows down, store them, wash the windows, wash the screens, and put them up. Long before her death, Aggie had indicated she wanted the property to go to DadÕs children. She often said that she had nothing when she married him, and wanted the property to remain with his family. Prior to her death, she signed off the property. The property was appraised and I placed a bid for the appraised value. This was satisfactory with the rest of the family, and purchase was completed. Following the purchase of the property and the marriage of Luann and Dave, they moved into the lower apartment. They in turn later purchased it from us and lived there a few years before selling it and moving to a new home on Westenbroek where they still live.

Years passed by. I gave notice to the bank of my intention to retire at age 62. This would occur in the year 1981. I would work to the end of the year. In December of 1981, I experienced a heart attack and was advised to have by-pass surgery. The day following a heart catherization was the planned farewell at the bank. We went ahead with those plans and entered Butterworth the following day for surgery. Another catherization was scheduled, but not completed due to my emergency condition. I had five by-passes and experienced a good recovery. 

Following retirement and recuperation, we began thinking of moving to a condominium. This we did in 1983. We have never been sorry, and enjoy it very much. We were especially grateful for the change when in February 1991, I experienced extensive surgery, and spent eight weeks in the hospital. I spent the next seven months in a hospital bed at home. Recuperation was slow. The greatest satisfaction was experienced in February of 1992, when it became possible once again to eat food and enjoy it. Prior to this I was on Ensure Plus. Even the thought of eating and the smell of food was sufficient to induce vomiting.

My driverÕs license expired during this period. I dreaded the thought of having to take a written examination and eye test. I took the test, passed the exam, and was once again able to drive. This lasted only a couple months when in August, 1992, my one good eye started to go bad. Being declared legally blind erased any hope of being able to drive again. We are presently working through the Commission for the Blind, and have already received a tape player, a disk player, a talking watch, several books, short stories, two issues of U.S. News and World Report, plus catalogues which list what is available free of charge. Next week we hope to meet with Nancy from the Blind Commission, and following that meeting will be authorized to make an appointment with Dr. Walt of the Low Vision Clinic who will advise and make recommendations on whatever additional visual aids are available and appropriate for my use. Hopefully a type of telescopic lens will be suggested and that some vision may be restored. 

The years of retirement have been very enjoyable. The actual retirement didn't really seem as such because the first couple months were days of recuperation from the heart operation. Adjustment to retirement was easy. We were able to go to Florida two or three times during the Winter. We did a lot of golfing together around home, and most Winters we felt content to just stay at home. Slowly on driving became more of a chore and our desire to travel diminished.

Our Family

At this point one main event becomes a joint venture. Sadie and I have been the recipients of many blessings throughout the years. One blessing has been the privilege to be married for 51 years. Our experiences together have been varied. There were happy times and times of frustration and disappointments. We have had hopes realized and ambitions denied. We have together experienced sorrow, pain, and disappointment of various natures. We have laughed together and cried together, but through every experience we can testify to the goodness of our God. After all, hasn't He promised that He would never leave us or forsake us? We know that His eye is upon us at all times, and His ear is attentive to our cry. This simple trust has carried us through, and we are confident that "The eternal God is our refuge, and that underneath are the everlasting arms."

Having said that, we must confess that our faith was often shaken. There were times during hospitalization and recovery that we cried out, "Where are you God?"

Here I would like to focus attention on Sadie. I shall never be able to thank her for the tremendous burden she so willingly carried. She had a more difficult life than I did. All I did was just lay there, but Sadie gave herself in a very literal sense. When discharged from the hospital, I was in no condition to return home, but there I was one day, and it was basically her responsibility to care for me. Along with me came all the tubes and attachments which were simply bewildering. Even for an experienced nurse, the attention required was demanding and overwhelming. She was suddenly thrust into an area she was not familiar with. Nursing was not her specialty. She had tubes to adjust, monitor a feeding machine which did not always work to perfection, an ileostomy which required emptying and cleaning, and medication to apply and prescriptions to monitor. For a number of months we had a nurse come in each morning and evening, plus a nurses' aide each morning to give me a bath. This helped a great deal, but there were so many hours in between when Sadie was entirely on her own. Hers was a twenty-four hour vigil. She slept on the sofa right beside my bed for months, afraid she might not hear me if she slept in another room. She never slept soundly, and her sleep was often interrupted by some emergency. Once awakened, getting back to sleep was not easy. Emergencies happened frequently when she simply didnÕt know what to do. I was of no help, being barely able to move a muscle. Many times she would go off by herself and simply cried. Sometimes the frustrations were so great she broke down crying while trying to help me. She had no time for anything other than helping me, answering the many well meaning telephone calls, and entertaining visitors. The only time she could get out was when the nurse came. She would then hurriedly go to the Post Office, drug store, bank, or store for groceries. She didnÕt take time to eat. She lost her appetite. She continued to lose weight, something she didn't have an excess of to begin with. Her physical life was suffering, but much more so her emotional life. The Bible says, "Greater love has no man that this, that a man lay down his life for a friend." She gave her everything, and in so doing almost gave her life.

The impact of the experience has taken its toll. She has since gained a little weight, but emotionally there is a great difference. She can no longer take pressures, she is easily disturbed and troubled. What once was the ordinary, now is a mountain. The fact that I am still dependent on her for certain things, and am no longer able to drive has added more to her list of responsibilities. She does not like to drive, but now finds it necessary to drive under conditions she would never before consider. Little jobs around the house and outside the house, which I would normally perform, are now left for her, because I can no longer see to do them.

To this great, wonderful, loving, considerate, sacrificing, dear wife, I owe my very life and existence. Help has been suggested, but she would have it no other way, than to give of herself no matter what the cost. To her I say "Thank you, Dear, " from the bottom of my heart. Even those words seem so inadequate in terms of the tremendous sacrifice she made. Again, thank you my dearest. I know that your eternal reward will compensate for the disappointments and misery experienced here below, but I hope and pray that I may still be able to contribute something to easing the burdens in the future.

Another blessing we have, and continue to experience, is the joy of two healthy, caring children. Woody was born November 5, 1946, and Luann was born February 27, 1953. Throughout their various stages of growth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and parenthood, each one has added a lasting contribution to the happiness of us as parents. We are extremely proud of them as well as their spouses and children.

On May 31, 1969 Woody was married to Mary Stob. Woody is an attorney in Grand Rapids with the firm of Tolley, Ver Wys, VandenBosch. Mary is kept busy with the family along with her volunteer work at church and at school. They have three children: Amy, Katie, and Dan. Amy is now 19, and a sophomore at Calvin College. Katie is 17, and a senior at Grand Rapids Christian High. They live at 3726 Chamberlain, SE, Grand Rapids.

Luann was married on July 20, 1973 to Dave Kempema. Dave is a supervisor at the Howard Miller Clock Company. Luann is a full time secretary at Zeeland Christian School, and is a partner in Second Chance, a retail outlet for second had clothes. She and her sister-in-law own the operation which is located downtown in Zeeland. The business is doing very well, and has been in operation for some twelve years. Initially she was active in the business, but now relies on good help, and only goes occasionally. They have one daughter, Kristin, who is 17 and is a senior at Holland Christian High School. They live a short distance from us at 281 Westenbroek Drive, Zeeland.

This is our family. Small compared with some standards, but large and significant when measured by the yardstick of love expressed, caring demonstrated, and sacrificial sharing voluntarily extended. In III John, verse 4, these words, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth," best describes the hopes which we as parents had for the developing and maturing years of our children. We can now look back in humility and thanksgiving that those hopes have been realized as we see our children walking in the ways of our Lord. We also give thanks for the same divine guidance which is evident in our grandchildren. They continue to be a real joy, and we are proud of each one.

A very essential part of our happiness and satisfaction with our family is the role played by the spouses, Mary and Dave. They have fit into the family perfectly from the start. They have been a source of inspiration. We couldnÕt have done better if we had hand picked them ourselves. In fact, I think we would have made a mess of it. We are proud of each one, and grateful that they are part of our family. 

As said before, Woody and Luann were always a source of pride and joy. As parents, we may not have participated in their activities as we might have, but we tried to be there when they needed us. One day after Luann and Dave had been married a short time, Sadie received a letter from Luann thanking her and telling her how much having Sadie at home meant to her. She wrote how much it meant to her that when she