This is a blog we, Gerrit and Anna Mae's family, started years ago to tell stories of our beloved Opa as he was on his way to be with the Lord. We resurrected it as we got news of Oma's Journey. We are all beyond blessed to know this couple of joy and faith and stories of their lives deserve to be told. We will be posting updates here so share the link!
We were so sad to hear that Gerrit had passed away, and would like to extend our condolences to all of you.
It is so good to know that you are not grieving as people without hope, but rather rejoicing in the knowledge that he is in a much better place now. We'd like to share this hymn:
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
The obituary describes Gerrit so well. We got to know him only ten years ago and have many fond memories of him.
We still recall one of the first times we met and he loudly exclaimed that, "Now I know for sure that we are related, it's 5 generations back, but still!" Or the time in Oklahoma at Alan Ritchie's sale where Gerrit was buying cow after cow! Or hearing him tell about all the Dutch proverbs and sayings he was getting together to write them all down. Or visiting at Brad and Barb's where we went kayaking together on the lake. Gerrit was 80 years old at that time! And shortly after that a bicycle rider (Gerrit) walked into our office in Plainview to be picked up by Anna Mae. These are some of the memories we have of Gerrit. He was loved by all of us.
This man exemplified Christ more than anyone I know.
He was patient with me when I didn’t get it right the first time and he’d always wait for me and let the others go on ahead. He was never too busy or in too much of a hurry to stop and pray – over new cars, road trips, new houses, new babies – you name it, he took the time to pray. Papa was kindwhen my behavior didn’t merit kindness in return. He did not envywhat others had, instead he knew that he was beyond blessed and was an amazing steward of what he was given – he was an honest businessman and an incredible husband, father, grandfather & great-grandfather.
He did not boast… well unless it was about Jesus or Anna Mae. He was not proud… except for of his Dutch heritage and the USA He was not rude – he always made space in his life for others and treated everyone he met with the respect they deserved as a child of God. He was not self-seeking – I don’t know anyone as selfless as Papa, from picking up hitch hikers and telling them about Jesus to always showing up when we needed him to be there and even in the last days, he was thanking nurses in the hospital for changing his iv. He was not easily-angered, in fact his nickname was “Papa No Biggie” because he didn’t let much get to him and would always bring a smile to our faces when we were upset about something.
Papa kept no record of wrongs against anyone, ever; everything was forgivable and his love was so unconditional; I’ve never felt more loved by someone than I do by him and Gramma. He gave second chances and never made anyone feel like an outsider. He did not delight in evil; in fact the scowl would cross his face when bad stories came on the news or when he heard of one of his grandkids doing something he didn’t approve of. He truly did his best to live like Jesus. He always rejoiced with the truth – Papa’s favorite thing was to hear about one of us following Jesus or doing ministry or singing in church or baptizing our kids. He sought after Truth with his whole life and that was his desire for each of us.
Papa always protected us, Gramma and his relationship with Jesus. I’ve never seen a more amazing model of someone who carved out time with the Lord and time with his family because he knew the value of those things. He always trusted in the Lord no matter what life brought – bouts of cancer, hard times with the business, challenges with family – his trust was 100% in the Lord and what he could do. Healways hopedfor the best and believed the best for us, even if we didn’t believe it for ourselves. When we were sad or upset, there was always hope in Papa’s smile, in his words, in his actions.
He always persevered through whatever life brought his way and he did so without complaining or grumbling, he just put on that grin, prayed, grabbed Anna Mae’s hand and walked through whatever challenge was next.
Papawill never fail to be someone who deeply influences my life. The life he lived and the legacy he leaves will be something that brings many more to Glory.
Much of who I am is because of who Papa was. There are days when being in full-time ministry is draining and you want to quit – I keep going because Papa always wanted a preacher and he taught me to never stop sharing the good news with people, even if it is daunting at times. There are days when I don’t believe in love anymore and then I look at his relationship with Gramma and remember that their marriage is reason enough to believe in love and to have hope for the future. There are days when I take my life too seriously and I look at Papa and remember that it’s “no biggie” and it will all work itself out.
And there are days when I will see that smile in the pictures I cherish and be reminded that life is beautiful and that God is so good to me. My life is changed for the better because I got 30 years with Papa. He has been one of the biggest spiritual influences on me and I will continue to pray for a man who loves me as much as Papa loves Gramma and who will continue to point me toward Jesus, come what may. “And we believe it!” Gramma, you are deeply loved by 49 of us and we will be here for you. You and Papa have had such an incredible impact on us and we consider it a gift to love and support you and honor his legacy... it’s the least we could do.
I love and miss you Papa - Breanne
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Dear Anna Mae,
We want to express our deepest sympathy on Gerrit's passing. We all know that he is in a much better place than we can imagine!
He had an outgoing personality and it came easy for him to meet new people, and used that gift as an opportunity to share God's love with them. His love and openness towards people reflect's the love of Christ. Gerrit's faith in Christ and love for the Church was an example to me. It motivatied me to get involved and serve in the Church.
I am greatful for his gift of hospitality. You and Gerrit took me (Case) into your home and welcomed me into your family. Both of you included me in all the family get-togethers with all the de Graaf's, Van Dam's and Hettinga's. I went to many birthday parties, and every holiday party. You gave me
gifts at Christmastime. You welcomed my parent's and others friends of mine to stay at your home, even taking them site seeing. You even let me drive your yellow Cadillac to take out my date!
Gerrit exposed me to the California-style of dairying, and his excitement motivated me at the young age of 20 to pursure dairy opportunities that California had to offer.
Gerrit loved to give advice and this was one I will never forget - "You don't meet girls in bars, you meet them in church." I took that advice and through his grain salesman I met my wife who I've been married to 25 years this April.
We love Gerrit very much. Anna Mae we love you and may God's grace and peace be with you.
Case and Melinda Vyfhuizen
We have been very saddened by Gerrit’s illness but we are very relieved that he is now in the place where he can feel the blessings that come to him from the Christian life that he not only lived but so willingly shared with others. At this stage in our lives we especially miss the one’s that are nearest and dearest to us. Our prayer for your family at this time is that they continue to appreciate how he was able to develop a closeness for the one’s that came into his life. We suppose that this is why we feel so saddened by his bodily absence but we still feel blessed by being able to share a few of his life experiences.
We will miss his presence but know that this segment of our lives will continue to be blessed by the memories we cherish of the times we shared together. Somehow, Anna Mae, we know that our lives and yours will continue to be blessed by Gerrit ~ but we do miss him terribly at this time.
While we will not be able to attend his services on Monday, February 14th, our thoughts and prayers will be with you and the family.
Even een berichtje in de mooiste taal van de wereld :-D ! Na wat dagen om er 'aan te wennen' dat u er niet meer bent, kan ik het me eigenlijk helemaal nog niet voorstellen.
Nooit meer naar Schiphol, uitkijkend naar een oom met cowboyhoed en korte broek en een tante met camera, om jullie dikke enthousiaste welkomshuggen in ontvangst te nemen.
8287 km is het van Texas naar Leiderdorp. Hoe vaak zullen u en tante die reis wel niet gemaakt hebben? Het vliegtuig heeft jullie ontelbaar keer naar het groene Nederlandse kikkerlandje gebracht. "In het allermooiste weer van de hele wereld" door de polder fietsen, biest eten, slootjespringen, 's morgens vroeg op de koffie.. Elke dag was een feestje als jullie 'bij ons' waren.
Ook gingen wij naar jullie, naar het verre Amerika. Vroeger dacht ik dat u en tante vast moviestars waren, met een zwembad, heel groot huis, de catamaran en een supergrote tuin. Maar nee, koeien bleken uw lust en uw leven. Daar viel mijn illusie... in duigen ;)
Later kwam ik nog 'helemaal alleen' voor zes weken als zestienjarige bij jullie doorbrengen. Misschien willen de meeste meiden dan feesten met vriendinnen in plaats van touren met twee 'oudjes', maar ik weet nog dat ik in het vliegtuig terug al heimwee had naar jullie.
Een paar jaar later kwamen Anne en ik samen voor vier weken gezelligheid. Altijd stond jullie deur open, jullie hart open.
Afstand is maar relatief, maar nu bent u niet meer 8287 km verderop. Dat zo'n engel op aarde nu voor altijd in de hemel is... Vast heel egoistisch, maar ik wilde u en tante wel voor altijd in mijn leven houden.
Straks stappen we weer in het vliegtuig. Om u gedag te zeggen. Al had ik u het liefst nog een dikke kus en hug gegeven, weet ik dat u op de plek bent waar u het allerliefste bent. En God wat hoop ik... dat ik u die kus nog eens kan geven.
Bedankt voor de liefde, de warmte, de gezelligheid, het lachen!
Gerrit friend forever! I can't help but think how blessed a family is with great, Godly, Funloving parents. You have been a great steward of the blessings God gave you, and your childrens children are blessed because of your faithfulness. Thanks for the memories, "George"! Annie VB
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
I am writing this post on behalf of my Pake and Oma, Andy and Maria Schaap.When I saw the link to the blog on facebook, I knew that my Oma and Pake would love to share some of their fond memories about the times they spent with their dear friend.
KaylaSchaap
First off, our condolences to you and your family from the entire Schaap clan.We have had lots of good times together with our families throughout all these years.My kids still remember our many trips to the lake and river.One of our most memorable trips was to Katherine’s Landing in Arizona.We all loved to water ski and we would take out the entire family, usually behind Gerrit’s boat.We would have five different people water skiing all at once behind his boat!Andy William remembers him and Gerrit floating out on the water, on an inner tube and flying a kite.Another fun venture we took our families on was out to Tulloch Lake.Every morning, Gerrit would lead us in prayer and we would sing praises and devotions to our Lord.Gerrit had such a beautiful voice and he always had a smile on his face.
Gerrit de Graaf, 82, of Ransom Canyon, Texas went to meet his Lord and Savior on February 7, 2011.
He was born on June 18, 1928 in Leiderdorp, Netherlands and immigrated to California in 1948. Anna Mae was 14 years old and told her girlfriend about the “cutest green Dutchman” that she’d met at church and that she knew she would marry him someday. They married in 1953. He was a dairyman in California until 1997 when they moved to El Paso, TX then Roswell, NM and most recently, Ransom Canyon, TX. They were active members of every church they attended. At each of those churches, he was likely the choir’s loudest tenor.
Gerrit was drafted into the US ARMY in 1951. Shortly after he proposed to Anna Mae, he was sent to serve in the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1953 and married his “Annie” that same year. They have been blessed with a family of 48 loved ones.
His favorite things were the color yellow, riding bikes, the USA, “Mc Donald” coffee, writing poems, his Dutch heritage, flying kites, buttermilk, the dairy, singing, planting sunflowers, his kids, grandkids, great grandkids, his Anna Mae and most importantly his Savior, Jesus Christ.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Anna Mae; his 5 children - Gary & Donna de Graaf of Pixley, CA; Debbi and Larry Kelley of Roswell, NM; Brad & Barb Bouma of Ransom Canyon, TX; Jon & Carolyn Veenendaal of Plainview, TX; and Brian & Linda de Graaf of Dexter, NM; 15 grandchildren - Dustin (& Janey), Daniel (& Emily), Cary Ann (& Ted), Janelle (& Casey), Travis (& Hilary), Lindsay, Brandon (& Stephanie), Breanne, Brent (& JuLea), Justin, Jeanna (& Steven), Jesse (& Danae), Derek, Austin & Ethan and soon-to-be 15 great grandchildren - Sydney, DJ, Anna Mae, Johnny, Betty Lou, Willemina, Henry, Edith, Anja, Selah, MacKenzie, Cameron, Baby Bouma, Gerrit and Case.
The graveside service will be held Monday at 11am at South Park Cemetery in Roswell for family and close friends. A celebration service of his well-lived life will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Dexter, NM at 2pm on Monday, February 14th. Memorial donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Gerrits favorite organizations:
1) Gideons of Roswell - 500 N Main St, Roswell, NM 88201; phone 575-622-4718
or recently his heart has been broken for the orphans in Haiti and around the world. He said to Anna Mae that he wanted to give more to save orphans. He said we have plenty here, but they need our help. You can do that through:
2) Operation HOPE out of Lubbock (operationhopeusa.org) - 4219 34th Street, Lubbock, TX 79410; phone 806-793-4673
