Jerri Muehlenbeck ’69 Elsinga

Jerri Rochelle (Muehlenbeck) Elsinga, age 81, of Saugatuck, Michigan, passed away peacefully with her daughter by her side on Monday, June 10, 2024. She was born December 8, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, to the late Charles and Dorothy (Krivan) Muehlenbeck. Jerri graduated from Fennville High School with the class of 1961. She went on to receive her Bachelors degree from Hope College. Jerri worked many years as a social worker for the Department of Social Services of Ottawa Co.
Jerri was intense in her quest to help people and lift up those less fortunate. She loved to dance and sing and was a member of the Lakeshore Community Chorus. She enjoyed photography as a hobby and spent hours getting that perfect shot of Lake Michigan where she lived and the beautiful flowers that flourished in her sister’s garden. Jerri was one of the first volunteers for the Mason Street Warehouse (now the SCA) and helped co-ordinate the first Douglas Socials with an energy and zest that was part of her signature personality.
Jerri will be missed by her two daughters, Doreen (Brent) Tubergen and Tatia Ryan; grandchildren, Chelsea (fiancée, Dylan Holgate) Petroelje, Nathan (fiancé, Annie Wysopal) Tubergen, and Payton, Logan, and Kendyl Ryan; great-granddaughters, Haisley and Breklyn Petroelje; sister, Joy Muehlenbeck and so many extended family members and friends.
Jerri was preceded in death by the love of her life, John Darling and her parents.