Family History

Here is a brief history of our family:

DEKKER FAMILY

Simon Theodore Dekker—Born April 18, 1916; Died May 24, 1993 (no siblings)

Johanna Fredericka Persenaire Dekker—Born Feb. 10, 1916; Died Oct. 16, 2012

Siblings:
1. Elizabeth Persenaire Olthoff—Born December 2, 1914; Died December 28, 2011
2. John Adrian Persenaire—Born June 30, 1917; Died Jan. 30, 1978
3. Cornelia Persenaire Carroll—Born August 31, 1921; Died May 30, 2012
4. Adrian Persenaire—Born August 4, 1923; Died May 6, 2001
5. Marion Persenaire—Born April 7, 1927; Died July 31, 2014

                                  

                     The first one pictured is Abram Dekker, father of Simon Dekker

                             Grandma Persenaire (Johanna's mother) with her children. 

Children of Simon and Johanna:

1. Arleen Lynn Dekker Kidd—Born Nov. 9, 1942

2. Bonita Gayle Dekker Griswold—Born June 29, 1947: Died April 1, 2015

3. Vernon Bruce Dekker—Born Aug. 6, 1950 (Papa)

4. Pamela June Dekker DeBruyn—Born June 23, 1952

                               Vern, Arleen, Pam, Bonnie and cousins Mary and Dave

Simon Dekker worked in the US Post Office and also sold eggs and was a cabinet maker. He loved to sing in the church choir. 

Johanna Dekker was a class valedictorian and worked as a librarian in the South Holland library. 

                                             

                                           Vern and his parents in 1951

Vern Dekker went to Purdue University and got his masters degree in Civil Engineering and graduated Summa Cum Laude  "with highest honors". He has been working at Black and Veatch since 1973. He attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Overland Park and loves to sing in the choir. He is also an avid gardener and loves to be outdoors working in the gardens and the yard. He has done a lot of landscaping to make the yard a beautiful place for our grandchildren who love to come out here and play. We also built a gazebo with roses--our place to relax and read.

Vern loves to do things for the grandchildren, He made trails around the yard and put in a zip line which the kids love! He also makes them Papa's Famous Monkey Bread when they come to spend the night. He once saved money for five whole years to take the whole family on a fantastic Alaskan Cruise! We were to cruise for a week and then take a 500 mile train ride into the heart of Alaska and stay in Princess Lodges while visiting Denali. He is the best Grandpa ever!!!

VAN ZUIDAM FAMILY

Loren Eugene Van Zuidam (Bud) —Born Jan. 3, 1931; Died April 9, 1991

Bud's Grandparents were:

Matthew and Cornelia (Eenigenberg) Van Zuidam
Martin and Anne (Lange) Breugmann

Bud's Parents were: John and Lauretta (Breugmann) Van Zuidam

Bud's Siblings:

1. Ellen Ruth Van Zuidam Kamstra—Born Aug. 23, 1928; Died Sept. 29, 2006

2. Lois Johnine Van Zuidam Fennema—Born April 19, 1933

3. Carole Ann Van Zuidam Turngren—Born May 18, 1938

4. Joneen Grace Van Zuidam Hagen —Born May 8, 1944; Died Mar. 23, 2004

                Bud, John and Joneen, Lauretta and Carole, Ellen and Lois VanZuidam

Lorraine Ruth Mossel Van Zuidam (Lori)—Born April 13, 1932; Died Nov. 11, 2007

Lori's grandparents were:

Frank and Rose Mossel
David and Cornelia (Santeford) Hoekstra

Lori's parents were:

Geroge and Clara (Hoekstra) Mossel

Lori's Siblings:

1. Mildred Mossel Yonkman—Born Nov. 8, 1928

2. Jacquelyn Mae Mossel Yonkman—Born May 9, 1943

3. George Robert Mossel—Born April 2, 1945

                          George and Clara Mossel with George, Lori, Millie, and Jacque

                                                  

Four generations: Cornelia Hoekstra, Clara Mossel, Lori VanZuidam, Diane VanZuidam

Bud VanZuidam was raised on a farm in Chicago Heights, and he was a real farm boy! He was driving tractors at a very young age. When he was in high school he started dating Lori Mossel and they got married when he was 19. They had Diane when he was 20. He had a job delivering eggs door to door and sometimes he would sell chicken too. Around Thanksgiving time he would sell turkeys. One time, some of the barn cats got into the refrigerated room and overnight they ate some of the turkeys. O. my. word. Bud got out the shotgun and killed them between the house and the barn.

Lori Mossel/VanZuidam was born and raised in South Holland Illinois. She had one older sister named Millie and and younger sister Jacque and a younger brother George. When it was time for my her to be born, instead of calling the doctor, her mom just told the next door neighbor and she came over and helped with the delivery! O my! 

Lori only went through eighth grade and did not get to go to high school. Then she got married at 18 and had five kids and it wasn’t until she was in her fifties that she got her GED and her high school diploma! 

Children of Bud and Lori VanZuidam:

1. Diane Lynne Van Zuidam Dekker—Born Dec. 22, 1951

2. David Loren Van Zuidam—Born Oct. 10, 1953; Died March 20, 2006

3. Larry Allen Van Zuidam—Born March 23, 1956

4. Tamara Sue Van Zuidam Roskamp—Born Jan. 3, 1959

5. Mark Alan Van Zuidam—Born Oct. 23, 1965

Diane VanZuidam/Dekker graduated second in her class from St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette, Indiana. Later she went on  to Johnson County Community College and KU and graduated from KU with degrees in Philosophy and English Literature.  She was invited to join Phi Kappa Phi which is an honor society for academic excellence. 

Diane worked as a psychiatric nurse at Shawnee Mission Medical Center from 1975-1986. After that she taught piano lessons in her home until 2014. In 2008 she wrote Two Trees of Knowledge: A biblical case for the separation of school and state. Now she loves spending time with her grandchildren more than any other thing. She took the grandchildren one day a week for years so the moms could have a break and the kids could have cousin-bonding time. It was a win-win! She also taught piano lessons to the grandkids. 

VanZuidam Family at Vern and Diane's Wedding

                        

Children of Vern and Diane Dekker:

1. Kristen Mark Dekker — Born June 20, 1974
2. Rachel Beth Dekker/Keller — Born November 19, 1975

                                            Vern, Diane, Kris and Rachel Dekker

Children of Kristen Mark Dekker and Kimberly Swanson/Dekker

1. Katy Nicole Dekker — Born March 27, 2004
2. Meagan Noelle Dekker — Born December 28, 2005
3. Grady Andrew Dekker — Born February 22, 2008

Children of Travis Keller and Rachel Dekker/Keller

1. Alice Johanna Keller — Born October 5, 2000
2. Sadie Beth Keller —Born April 24, 2003
3. Kristen Grace Keller — Born February 1, 2007

    Grady Dekker, Sadie Keller, Katy Dekker, Meagan Dekker, Alice Keller, Kristen Keller

Additional interesting history:

John VanZuidam had a tough childhood. His dad was killed in an "accident" at work, but his mother had been warned by Union thugs earlier that one might occur if he did not stop fighting the unionization of the shop.  John was only 4 and the youngest of four.  His mother took in wash and ironing to help support herself.  John was only about 6 or 7 when he had to haul water to the outdoor washtubs sitting over burning coals.  Summer and winter his mother washed and John said her hands were always rough and bleeding!  When he was 11 grandma married a widower, Sander Smit, who came with 2 young daughters, 2 and 4, that were lice and flea bitten and filthy. He did not like Sander and ran away from home, ended up in Thornton and stayed with a relative of Lauretta Bruegmann for a while. Lauretta later became his wife. 

John and Lauretta Bruegmann/VanZuidam were the parents of Bud VanZuidam. Lauretta’s grandpa was a Lutheran preacher, Missouri Synod, near Alton, Illinois.  John and Lauretta were married on her birthday, August 6, 1927, and were married 37 years.  I think her grandparents may have come from Germany but not sure.  German was the main language until Lauretta and her siblings went to school.  She graduated from grade school but John VanZuidam never did graduate.  She was confirmed in the Lutheran Church and John was raised Christian Reformed.  When dating, he went with her to church on Sunday and the preacher said right from the pulpit, "We have a heretic with us today".  They left that church and never went back.  John was a Fuller Brush salesman for a while.

Several years after Lauretta died from a stroke at the age of 56, John Van Zuidam married Della Pals who was a widow. She was also ironically my mom’s (Lori Van Zuidam’s) aunt. So my dad’s step mom was my mom’s aunt which made my mom and dad first cousins by marriage. Hahaha! She (Lauretta) died on December 6 just a few weeks before I turned 13. She had a stroke the week before and was in a coma for a week before she had a second stroke and died. 

Autumn in the Rockies

Pretty much every year we go to Colorado in the fall. The colors are beautiful and the sounds engaging, especially as the elk bugle their way down the mountainside to the meadows at sun up and sun down. This year we had planned to stay in Estes Park, but because of the flood we had to go elsewhere. Fortunately some friends of my sister and brother-in-law, came to our rescue by letting us rent their cabin on the west side of the park. Thank you Tami and Steve Roskamp and Eric and Alison McDowell!

Here is the cabin and the view from our deck:

 

  The immediate neighborhood was incredibly beautiful.

View from the other side of the lake.

Another lake view

Lake view

This little place was right down the road, surrounded by the most beautiful Aspens.

This is where we came to watch the elk morning and night

Loved watching these horses too

Here are some of our elk friends

My favorite Bugle Boy!

Up close and personal

 It is really fun to watch when a doe makes a run for it and escapes to go to another bull.

The doe in the blue collar takes advantage of the bull's temporary distraction and takes off running.

There she goes!

He takes off after Blue!

While the bull chases after Blue, another doe takes off.

Alas, she joins another lover across the meadow.

This guy means business!

Here comes trouble!

O yeah, we're going to have us a showdown.

So this is a big part of coming to Colorado in the fall. But the other part is the scenery, especially along Trail Ridge Road.

This was at the Timbercreek Trail head.

Aspens along the way

Near Grand Lake entrance.

Lake Irene

Never Summer Mountain Range

Poudre Lake

There are other wildlife besides the elk:

Mule Deer Crossing the Road

Mule Deer

Moose in Grand Lake

Another moose in the town

This moose was actually shopping on Main Street. Proof that for us girls, this is sheer animal instinct!

And we can't forget Chip who posed for several minutes while passing people stopped to photograph him.

 And here is the perfect ending to a perfect day in the mountains:

Glorious!

Of course, all of these creatures and beautiful scenes have a purpose--to woo us to the One who made it all. He is true Beauty and these temporary glimpses are just a down payment for future glory. Thank you Jesus!

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs are becoming a tradition for Christmas dinner at our house. The kids love them and it is one way to get them to eat green beans. We  serve it with hot rolls and homemade applesauce so everyone gets their fruit in too! Add a little sparkling grape juice for the kiddos and a glass of wine for the adults, and we are all set. I have yet to find a recipe online or otherwise that even compares to my mom's recipe for Swedish Meatballs, so I will share it here.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Beat together 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk and pour over 2 cups of breadcrumbs

Add:

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup grated onion

2 lbs. ground beef

Mix together and shape into 40 balls

Roll in flour

Fry slowly until well browned and remove from skillet

Add to pan drippings:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups milk

3 cans of green beans or equivalent fresh green beans

2 Tablespoons parsley

Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

I usually make it a day ahead and put it in the crock pot on Christmas morning.

Inheritance is a Test of Character

When my dad died, he left only his business and the house. There was no life insurance policy or any savings. My mom sold the business and went to work, entering the work force at 58 after a lifetime of being a stay-at-home mom. When she remarried, she sold the house. Two years later, she had Alzheimer’s. My mom was in a nursing home for several years at a cost of $5000.00 a month. Whatever she earned from selling the house paid for the nursing home, plus we suspect a lot came out of our stepdad’s pocket, but he would never tell us. My siblings and I had no inheritance other than a few rings, a few pieces of Delft, and a Hummel collection. Nobody really cared. Why? Because we had an inheritance that nobody could ever take away from us. 

My dad sold eggs door-to-door for most of my growing up years. My mom stayed at home and raised five kids. Yet somehow, they managed to put five kids all the way through Christian school. I have no idea how they did it. My mom made our clothes and we ate a lot of eggs. I had no idea how poor we were. We never went on vacations and we practically never ate out. We certainly didn’t shop at Marshall Fields. But I never knew the difference. When my dad started the Chicken House, things were a little better, but even then I was expected to pay for my own clothes and stuff I wanted. The point is that even in our relative (first world) “poverty,” we were rich. We had an inheritance that we would take to the grave and beyond. 

Paul says that anything that isn’t Christ is rubbish. Jesus tells us not to store up stuff on earth. Anytime we get stuff that we did not earn, it is a test of character. Back in the sixties, a family in our church was destroyed because when their mother died, the girls fought over her stuff and couldn’t reconcile. They wouldn’t even get together for Christmas because they couldn’t look at each other. Not something I wanted for myself or for my children. I hope I taught them better than that. While I would like to leave some things behind for them, I hope that Christ is enough. I hope they learn to hate the things that destroy families and bring dishonor to Christ. 

Recently my mother-in-law passed away and the kids have the job of going through all the stuff and setting things in order. She would have hated that herself. The stuff had no hold on her. She was a woman who wanted to do nothing more in a day than listen to her beloved hymns and hear sermons on tape from her church. Her heart was already elsewhere. Here are the words to one of those hymns:

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God!

All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them through his blood.

If I know my mother-in-law, I know that she wants the same thing for her children that I want for mine. She wants us to pass the test. She wants Christ to be enough. But we all want stuff. We do—there is no denying it. We are tied to this earth and we want to hold on to stuff, especially stuff that reminds us of her. We believe that this will console us in our grief. The question now is whether we will come to our senses in time to realize that only one thing will tie us together for all eternity—Jesus Christ. For the sake of Jesus Christ, can we sacrifice the vain things that charm us most? Can we pass the test?

My Journey With Isaiah

This past year I have been studying the book of Isaiah with several of my sisters at Redeemer. I love the way Isaiah predicts the future in past tense--as if God has already done what he promises to do. Isaiah has always had a special place in my heart. Back in 2001, shortly after 9/11, God led me to Isaiah 61:1-3 and I memorized it:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
²  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
     and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
     to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

I felt God was calling me to something, but not sure what.  This passage is about Jesus. Jesus is the one who was anointed to do all of the above things. What could that have to do with me? Everything, it turns out. Matthew 28:18-20 says this: 

 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This passage reminds me of a song I used to sing as a child. It was my favorite song, and even though I didn't know it at the time, it combines Isaiah 61 and Matthew 28--So Send I You. 

So send I you to labor unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone

So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
O’er wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake

So send I you to loneliness and longing
With heart a-hungering for the loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know My love alone

So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to lose your life in Mine

So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood, to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary

"As the Father hath sent me, so send I you."

Now it seems I have a choice--to go or not to go. Here is Isaiah's answer:  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)  While I would like to resist the call to suffering such as this, I find I cannot. Jesus has melted my heart and the way he has ministered to me through Redeemer Presbyterian Church has changed the course of my life. To give up my ambitions seems too small a price to pay. So my study of Isaiah has come to an end, and all I can say is  "Here I am! Send me."