Cornelis “Case” Voskuilen was born on Jan. 4, 1932 in Zevenhuizen, the Netherlands. He returned home to his Lord and Savior on Oct. 24, 2017. His parents were Aart Voskuilen and Lena Voskuilen DeGraaf. He was the seventh out of nine children; he had six brothers and two sisters, and Case was the last surviving child of the family.
He grew up in Zevenhuizen and later attended technical school for four years to become a mechanic. This was followed by two years of more specialized technical training during evening classes in Gouda. In the intervening time he worked for his dad as a pipefitter, plumber and roofer.
He served four years in the Dutch army as a tank mechanic, having gone through tank mechanic school in Utrecht. He initially worked on U.S. Sherman tanks and later on the British Centurion tanks.
On Sept. 15, 1955 Case married the love of his life, Ada Kersbergen. At first they lived in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. Their first child, Marinus (Reece), was born there in 1956. A few years later, they moved to Boskoop.
The family emigrated from the Netherlands in 1960. They left on March 19, 1960, traveling by ship to Hoboken, New Jersey. From there they traveled cross-country by train to Everett, Washington, where they were met by Case’s brother Arnold and his wife Nel, who brought them to Lynden. They lived with Arnold and Nel for three months until their furniture arrived from the Netherlands. They then moved to a rented house on the Polinder Road. They were “adopted” as extended family by the Honcoop family and shared many events with them over the years. Their second child, Margreta, was born in 1964. In 1965 they purchased a house on the Vinup Road where they lived for 45 years until moving a little closer into town.
Case started out working as a mechanic for Bill Devine. After two months he transitioned to working at VanderPol & Maas, staying there for three years. In 1963 he and his brother Arnold started their own business, Voskuilen’s Service. He loved working on tractors and foreign cars. For many years they specialized in Volkswagen repair, but also expanded to other domestic and foreign models over the years. For a while they also sold tractors in addition to repairing them. In later years they specialized in Mercedes repairs. The shop was initially located on the west side of town, but in the early 1970s they moved to a location on Hannegan Road. A fire in 1988 severely damaged the business, but they were able to rebuild and continue operating there until 1996 when they sold the business and Case retired.
Case and Ada joined First Christian Reformed Church after they arrived in Lynden in 1960 and have been members there continuously since. Case served at various times as both an elder and a deacon. He was also a member of the Lynden Community Center and the Lynden Pioneer Museum. For many years he volunteered for the role of Sinterklaas alongside Ada as Zwarte Piet (Black Pete).
One of his hobbies was helping Ada with her quilts. He loved participating in the quilting process.
Case is survived by Ada, his wife of 62 years; sister-in-law Nel Voskuilen; son Marinus Voskuilen and his wife Sandy; daughter Margreta Silverstone and her husband Jeffrey; grandchildren Tyler Voskuilen, Chelsea Voskuilen, Kent Voskuilen and Oslin Silverstone; and great-grandchildren Lydia Voskuilen and Nathanial Voskuilen. He is also survived by extended family in the Netherlands, Canada and St. Maarten.
Other close friends who were like extended family to Case and Ada were Sid and Leona Oostema and their children (Sid was dad’s best friend and preceded him in death); Paul and Fran Rockwell (and their children); Sue and Jerry Meenderinck (and their children); and Jane and Dennis Buys.
Graveside committal in Monumenta Cemetery and a memorial service in First Christian Reformed Church of Lynden were held on Monday, Oct. 30.
Memorials should be directed to the Lynden Community Center, 401 Grover St., Lynden.
You are invited to share your condolences and memories in the online guestbook at www.gilliesfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements were entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Lynden.
