![]() ![]() He loved working on cars, and eventually managed and owned several other service stations in the area. After working at Holland Hitch, he became manager at a service station (back in the days when we still had full-service), on the corner of 16th and US-31 in Holland. A big man with a big heart, he was also as hardworking as they come. Jerry was also a “working fool,” some might say, although he was certainly nobody’s fool. Jerry was the “fun parent”, as well as a big softy, and if daughter Katrina wanted something, she would go ask dad because he was sure to say yes. Since he worked so hard at his many jobs through the years, he loved to spoil his kids when he was home with them. Jerry, as you might expect, was a wonderful father. There Jerry and Jackie built a wonderful life together. Eventually they moved to the North Side of Holland in 1968, to a home they cherished at 1731 Columbus Street. Together Jerry and Jackie moved from the house on 15th Street, to Pleasant Drive on the South Side, to Taft Street in Zeeland in their first home they bought. She was a patient and caring mother who loved being active in her children’s lives, whether it was the camping trips at Spring Valley Camp in Bloomingdale the family enjoyed early in the children’s lives, or the notable trip to Disney World in Orlando. Nothing was more precious to Jackie than her children. The happy parents were filled with pride and joy at each of their children’s births. In 1963 the two happily welcomed son Curt, followed by daughter Katrina “Kathy” Ann in 1966, and son Craig in 1969. Together he and Jackie welcomed their three children into the world. Jerry welcomed more than the birth of a second career in the 1960s. ![]() The Guard gave Jerry a new challenge, including the race riots in Detroit in 1968, as well as a second career, in law enforcement, something he very much enjoyed. Jerry was never one to keep only one job - big bites, remember - and while at Holland Hitch joined the National Guard. The two formed a lifelong friendship, and in the ultimate show of friendship, Jerry even set Joe up with his sister, Glenna! (And Glenna and Joe are married to this day!). He had a glowing new bride, and also a new best friend, a coworker at Holland Hitch named Joe Doody. The happy young couple settled in to a little upstairs apartment of a rental house on West 15th Street, and Jerry had taken a job out of high school at Holland Hitch. Just two years later, Jackie and Jerry were married, in February of 1958. But Jerry stuck it out, and his persistence paid off. He was very protective of his pride-and-joy granddaughter, naturally, and didn’t like this strapping young man in the leather jacket (yes, Jerry wore a leather jacket in those days) coming ’round to court her. Well, almost.Īctually, Jackie’s grandfather wasn’t very kind or inviting to Jerry in the early going. A few days later, Jerry got up the nerve and called Jackie up for a second date, and that was the start of a lifetime of romance. It started innocently enough, meeting for coffee after church, but that’s all it took for Jerry. In 1956, Jerry was introduced to a young girl named Jackie Johns, after the two were set up on a blind date. Of course, cars can only captivate a teen-age boy for so long. Jerry had found his first true love: cars. Later on, he would hang around the local service station, Fendts, and eventually took a job there. He also sold cashews at the local Kressege dime store (although, truth be told, Jerry probably ate more than he sold!). He started by delivering The Holland Evening Sentinel after school on his paper route. So when Jerry wasn’t down at nearby Kollen Park catching fish, he was learning the value of a good day’s work. It was a good childhood for Jerry, even though his father ran a tight ship and wouldn’t have any idle children. Together the family would attend the former Ninth Street Christian Reformed Church. The Vander Ploegs lived at 338 West 17th Street, near downtown Holland, and Marvin ran the stock room at W.E. Jerry was born Octoin Holland, Mich., the second of five children to Marvin and Henrietta (Van Hesteren) Vander Ploeg. He never left anything half-finished, whether it was his loves, his life - or especially, his dinner - yet it was those who knew him that were truly the most filled and satisfied. He was a big man, you see, with a big heart, and a big life. In fact, Jerry was the kind of man that didn’t enjoy just a slice of anything - he’d rather dive in and take a big bite out of life, swallow it whole, savoring every bite with a great gusto. Jerry Lee Vander Ploeg was the kind of man that didn’t enjoy just a simple slice of life. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |