Jacob “Jake” Bovenkamp, age 95, of Lynden, went home to be with Jesus on Monday, August 1, 2016.
Jake was the son of Lambertus and Gertrude Bovenkamp and was born on December 22, 1920 in Lynden. He married Gertrude “Toots” VanDiest on July 18, 1941.
After working several years in construction, Jake founded Westside Building Supply in 1959. When Jake retired from Westside in 1990, he opened Jake’s Bargain Barn on the family farm. Over the span of Jake’s business career, he enjoyed his regular trips to Seattle and Canada to pick up building materials, and developed many life-long friendships and business relationships.
True to his Dutch heritage, Jake was a hard-working man. His life was marked by a spirit of generosity, simplicity, and compassion. He had a big heart and helped others consistently throughout his life in countless ways, including his jail ministry and the sponsorship of Southeast Asian war refugees. One of his deepest desires was for everyone to know the Lord Jesus whom he loved, and he had a natural gift of sharing his faith with others.
Jake was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Toots, in 2003. He is survived by his 8 children: Gladys (Leroy) VanBeek of Lynden, Judy (Rod) VanderLey of Puyallup, Bernie (Sheryl) Bovenkamp of Lynden, Ger (Ess) Bovenkamp of Miami, FL, Jayson (Deby) Bovenkamp of Lynden, Shirley (Brady) Bobbink of Bellingham, Bev (Jim) VanMersbergen of Spokane, and Fred (Sharon) Bovenkamp of Lynden, as well as 26 grandchildren and 67 great-grandchildren. Jake was also honored by many Vietnamese and Cambodian families who affectionately called him “Dad”.
The family is deeply grateful for Dad’s wonderful caregivers, whose loving and helpful care meant so much to Dad and enabled him to stay in his home until his death.
Visitation hours will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, at Gillies Funeral Home in Lynden. In celebration of Jake’s life, a memorial service will be held at Faith Community Church, 586 Birch Bay-Lynden Road, Lynden, on Thursday, August 18, at 2:00 p.m.
Memorials may be made to:
PSSM Treasure (AWANA)
c/o Virgil Templin
240 East Axton Road
Bellingham, WA 98226
Starfish Ministries
PMB 440
1706 Front Street
Lynden, WA 98264
University Christian Ministries,
1400 Larrabee Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
You are invited to sign the Memorial Guest Book at: www.gilliesfuneralhome.com.
Services are under the care of Gillies Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Lynden.
