Jack DeJong ’72

Jack is survived by his wife of 27 years, Sybille DeJong, of DeWitt, MI; his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, Matthew, Jane, and Thys DeJong, of Plymouth, MI; his daughter, Melissa DeJong of Los Angeles, CA; his step-daughter & step-grandson, Debra and Van Wirtz, of Marshall, MI; and several in-laws, nieces, and nephews. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Stefani Funtukis DeJong; parents, Ted and Jean DeJong; sister, Sharon (Ken) Overzet; and brother, Don DeJong.

Jack was born on June 24, 1950 in Zeeland, MI to Ted and Jean DeJong – the second of their three children. He graduated from Zeeland High School in 1968 and Hope College in 1972 with a degree in mathematics. Jack moved to Lansing, MI upon graduation from Hope and began his 42-year career with Michigan Farm Bureau, where he worked in applications development and managed innumerable projects from Y2K to transformation of marketing and financial reporting systems. Jack was extremely proud of his longevity at Farm Bureau and treasured the lifelong friendships he made there.

Jack will be remembered by many for the incredible endurance and steadfastness he showed throughout his life – in his younger years participating in several road-running, biking races, and downhill skiing events; however, the hallmark of these traits was his dutiful support of his wife Stefani throughout her battle with cancer and raising their two young children after her early death. Later in life, Jack was happiest at home, enjoying visits from friends and family and chatting about sports and politics.