Class Year: 1960

Rev. Bernard D. “Bernie” Ekema ’63

Rev. Bernard D. “Bernie” Ekema of  Paw Paw, Michigan, went to be with his Lord and Savior Thursday morning, September 1, 2016. Bernie was born June 23, 1930 in Kalamazoo the son of Harry and Cora (DeBoer) Ekema. He was a veteran serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Bernie was a graduate… Continue Reading →

Karen June VanderWerf ’63 Ver Hulst

Karen June Ver Hulst, 74, of Wyoming, went to be home with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, surrounded by her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Marge Vander Werf; and her sister, Virginia Vander Werf. Karen graduated from Hope College in 1963. She was a good… Continue Reading →

Pastor Richard J. Vander Borgh ’64

Pastor Richard J., of Westwood (formerly of Dumont) was born May 12, 1942 in Bay Shore, NY to Andrew Vander Borgh and Gertrude Veryzer Vander Borgh, and entered into eternal life on Saturday, July 16, 2016. He received his formal education by attending four years at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Pastor Vander Borgh then… Continue Reading →

Wenche Nilsen ’65 Haverkamp

Wenche Nilsen Haverkamp died on Sunday, July 24, of apparent complications from treatments for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She was born on November 7, 1942 in Horten, Norway, the daughter of Murray and Ingrid (Karlsen) Nilsen. At age six, she immigrated with her family to the United States, moving to Jersey City, N.J., where she lived until… Continue Reading →

David L. Anderson ’67

David L. Anderson, 71, of Portland, passed away suddenly on June 29, 2016. He was born in Schenectady, NY, the son of Carl and Blanche (Lepper) Anderson. He graduated from Scotia-Glenville High School, where he met his wife, Karen. He earned a B.A. from Hope College in Holland, MI and was awarded a Ph.D. in… Continue Reading →

Dixon “Dick” Lee Kuipers ’67

Dixon “Dick” Lee Kuipers, 81, of Onekama, died Sunday, July 3, 2016, at Munson Hospice House in Traverse City. He was born October 10, 1934, in Grand Rapids, the son of Bernard “Ben” and Adrianna (Leonhardt) Kuipers. Dick received his B.S. from Hope College and his M.S. from the University of Wisconsin. He went on… Continue Reading →

Jerry Hill ’61

Jerry Hill ’61 reports that he is turning 77 in April, having retired in 1999. Since then he has provided technical consulting for aerospace companies including Boeing, Raytheon, ITT and IITRI (Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute). He had provided project management for telemetry acquisitions for Topex-Poseidon, an oceanographic data-gathering satellite. Completing that project with… Continue Reading →

P. John Paarlberg Jr. ’61 and Dale Church ’62 Paarlberg

P. John Paarlberg Jr. ’61 and Dale Church ’62 Paarlberg are living in a retirement community in Jacksonville, Florida. He reports that their youngest son, Jonathan, lives nearby with his family. When they moved there in May 2016, they met a lady who described herself as “sister-in-law” of D. Ivan Dykstra ’35. They are currently attending… Continue Reading →

Betty Whitaker ’62 Jackson

Betty Whitaker ’62 Jackson of Palm Bay, Florida, reports that since her retirement from classroom teaching after 40 years and in five states she is now an author. Her first book, It’s a God Thing!, has a setting similar to Hope College. Her 13th book was published in December, and her books include a fiction… Continue Reading →

Barbara Freggens ’64 O’Brien

Barbara Freggens ’64 O’Brien and Daniel O’Brien celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on board Holland America’s MS Koningsdam cruising the Greek Isles with a renewal of wedding vows performed by Captain Emiel de Vries. Continue Reading →

Peter Paulsen ’64

Peter Paulsen ’64 and Lydia Thornburg ’13 both serve on the board of the Atlanta branch of a ministry that helps people “…see the face of God in the city.” The ministry is Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflections (DOOR). Pete reports that in quiet moments at board meetings and while working on projects they… Continue Reading →

Dick McFall ’65

Dick McFall ’65 is currently working as a substitute teacher in Beaverton, Oregon. It’s his 51st year in public education. He lives with his wife, Patti, in Portland. Continue Reading →

Thelma (Tommye) Leenhouts ’66

On  Saturday, Jan. 28, students with the Washington Honors Semester joined Thelma (Tommye) Leenhouts ’66, a licensed D.C. tour guide, on a walking tour of D.C. monuments and memorials. The tour included: the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt… Continue Reading →

James Pohl ’67

James Pohl ’67 has retired from 42 years of parish ministry in the United Church of Christ. He and his wife, Mary, live at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Continue Reading →

Harold Lay ’68

Harold Lay ’68 retired after 38 years of ministry in the Reformed Church in America. He served five churches in New Jersey and New York, and traveled to RCA mission locations in Honduras, The Sudan, and Ethiopia. He and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Brick, New Jersey, where they are looking forward to new adventures. Continue Reading →

Mary Richards ’69 Watson

Mary Richards ’69 Watson performed with Andrea Bocelli at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on December 15 and 18, singing backup with members of her chorus, the New York Choral Society.  The NYCS has been singing annually with Bocelli on the U.S tour since 2000 Continue Reading →