Hendrik Aaldert Berends, age 75, of Lynden, went to be with his Lord and Savior in the evening of Oct. 30, 2017.
Henk was born at the family home in Hasselt, the Netherlands, on Jan. 26, 1942 to parents Barend and Geesje (Vaartjes) Berends. He enjoyed the first eight years of his life aboard a cargo barge, traveling the canals in Europe delivering goods with his skipper father and mother. When his father became ill, the family planted roots in Rotterdam. Five years after his father’s death, at age 15 Henk immigrated to British Columbia, Canada, together with his mother and four siblings.
Henk went to work delivering telegrams to help support the family, and biking the hills in Vancouver gave him a lifelong knowledge of the streets and back alleys of the greater Vancouver area. Church life was central to the Berends family and that is where he met his wife, Joanne Vanderpol. Coincidentally, she was the boss’s daughter, since he had changed careers and was working for Vanderpol’s Eggs.
Through the years Henk was involved in several businesses and he concluded his working days at Premier Agendas, which he viewed as the highlight of his career. In their 54 years of marriage, Henk and Joanne received many blessings. Six children were born to them and eventually they received six more through marriage.
Henk counted his blessings daily, recognizing God as their source. He was active in church and Christian school life as an elder and school board member. In 1997 Henk immigrated again, this time to the United States. He had always been an avid lover of U.S. history and politics and adapted well to living in this wonderful country. Due to a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Henk received a lung transplant in 2003 at the University of Washington in Seattle. This gave Henk and the family the joy of witnessing medical miracles and many pleasant years to enjoy the blessings of a long life. In God’s time, Henk peacefully took his last breath at Swedish Hospital in Seattle.
He is survived by his wife, Joanne; son Barry; daughter-in-law Karen; and five daughters, Stephanie (Jim) Bareman; Bernice (Marvin) Vreugdenhil, Heather (Gerry) VanWoudenberg, Patricia (Henri) Gelms, and Janice (Jon) Dykstra; 39 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and numerous other relatives.
He was preceded in death by grandson Edward Gelms.
His memorial service took place in the American Reformed Church on Northwood Road, Lynden, on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The family thanks the medical staff at Swedish Medical Center for the exceptional care given to Henk.
Please 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.
