Standing by faith and hope in our Lord Jesus on this last day of the year, December 31, 2023, we once again remember those PRC members who died and were received into glory by their Savior, including little ones not numbered here but known to their Savior.
We are also aware that many of our members lost other family members who were believers in Jesus and who have entered into their everlasting reward through Him - grandparents, parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, and friends. These all now make up the church triumphant in our Father's house of many mansions.
Today, while the remembrance of these loved ones causes us sorrow, we rejoice to know that our faithful Father, our merciful Shepherd, and our abiding Comforter were present with us and ministering to us - through the Word and through pastors, fellow saints, and friends. In God's abounding grace He remained with us and with our loved ones, also in their dying moments. In His irresistible power He broke through all the darkness of death with the light of the gospel and comforted our loved ones and us. And by His merciful hand He delivered them out of this vale of tears and into His presence of endless joy! All praise be to our great and good God! May we humble ourselves before Him as we remember His work in the life and death of these precious saints of His, and may we prepare ourselves to die in the Lord with gospel peace.
Here, then, is the list of those PRC members who passed from this life into the life hereafter in this past year. I have counted 35 members who departed the church militant for the church triumphant in 2023. I have not knowingly or intentionally left anyone out. If you see someone that was missed, please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
In Memoriam: PRC members who died in the Lord in 2023 (by month and date, with ages and church affiliation)
January
- 2 - Ike Kuiper, 85 – Georgetown PRC
- 13 – Rose Ella Bleyenberg, 81 – Grace PRC
- 19 – Joyce L. Rietema, 93 – Southeast PRC, GR
February
- 9 - Mary Kaiser, 87 – Grandville PRC
March
- 2 – Norwin (Nort) Brower, 86 – Hudsonville PRC
- 6 – Jennie den Besten, 86 – Doon PRC
- 12 - Joyce Pastoor, 91 – Georgetown PRC
- 12 – John Windemuller, 65 – Georgetown PRC
- 13 – Anna (Dykstra) Clawson, 100 – Southwest PRC
- 26 – Cynthia Bartelds, 76 – Byron Center PRC
April
- 8 – Cheryl Kaptein, 80 - Grace PRC
- 9 – Mary Brummel, 73 – Faith PRC
- 26 – Mary Gail Gaastra, 86 – Hope PRC-Redlands CA
May
- 6 - Graham Thomas DeVries (stillborn) – Trinity PRC
- 30 – Henry W. Kuiper, 89 – Lynden PRC
June
- 29 – Catherine (Rignalda) Ophoff, 98 – Hudsonville PRC
July
- 8 - William Lenting, 75 – Cornerstone PRC
- 16 – Stephanie J. Buteyn, 40 – Randolph PRC
- 19 – Caroline Schrier, 90 – Southwest PRC
- 26 - Asha Bethel Ferguson, 3 hours - Hope PRC-Redlands
August
- 2 - Lubertha Bykerk, 88 – First PRC-GR
September
- 2 – Gerald Van Baren, 62 – First PRC-Grand Rapids
- 10 – Margaret Offringa, 93 – Faith PRC
- 17 – Freda (Miedema-Zwak) Elzinga, 96 – First PRC-Holland
- 18 – Geraldine Huizinga, 87 - Zion PRC
- 18 – John Kuiper, Jr., 92 – Grace PRC
October
- 13 – Marlene Groenendyk, 86 – Southwest PRC
- 19 – Nathan M. Holstege, 38 – Loveland PRC
November
- 2 – Agatha Lubbers, 91 – First PRC-Grand Rapids
- 3 – David Kuiper, 68 – Southwest PRC
- 15 – Willard (Bill) Leep, 91 – First PRC-Holland
- 21 – Jackie DeVries, 76 – First PRC-Grand Rapids
December
- 1 – Edward C. Ophoff, Sr., 93 - Southeast PRC
- 12 – William (Bill) Feenstra, 95 – Hope PRC-Redlands, CA
- 17 – Theresa Dykstra (Hoving), 67 – Georgetown PRC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:8-11)
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints (Psalm 116:15)
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world (John 11:25-27).
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3)
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. (Romans 14:7-9)
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:19-21).
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec (Hebrews 6:18-20).
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them (Revelation 14:13).
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:1-4).