Jennie Drenth, 85, Hollandale

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 2, 2006

Funeral services for Jennie Drenth, age 85, formerly of Hollandale, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Hollandale Christian Reformed Church. The Rev. Gary Brouwers will officiate. Interment will be in the Hollandale Cemetery. Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home.

Jennie died Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006, in Ontario, Calif.

Jennie Drenth was born Jan. 25, 1921, to Alje and Jantje (Meyering) Veldman in Sioux Center, Iowa, in a private home still standing across from what was at that time First Christian Reformed Church. She was the middle of three children. Her family moved from South Dakota in the 1930s, taking up residence in Colton, Calif., on an orange grove her parents purchased. Hank and Jennie reminisced at the old homestead one of the last trips they made together looking through the Victorian home recently restored, standing under the old palm tree where so many photos had been snapped, and gazing across the rolling landscape where tract homes have long since replaced &8220;Pa&8217;s&8221; orange trees. Soon after Hank arrived in California for winter work, they began dating and married on Sept. 14, 1941, driving to Hollandale in Hank&8217;s little Model T coupe. They built their life together farming in Hollandale and working hard dedicating their lives to the Lord, each other, and their children.

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Mom enjoyed many hobbies. She loved animals even as a small girl taking in and caring for any critter that would need shelter and love. She poured her heart into singing &045; beginning at an early age even singing on air with her sister for the Old Fuller Hour continuing to sing up to the very end at Inland Christian Home. She also was very creative and artistic taking great satisfaction in tending her flowers as well as spending hours crocheting and knitting slippers, sweaters, baby blankets, afghans, and doilies for family and friends.

Mom loved Jesus and prayed faithfully daily for her loved ones. A favorite song of hers was &8220;In His Time.&8221; He makes all things beautiful in His time, and she looked forward to being in the beautiful place prepared just for her &045; made beautiful and complete without any more earthly worries or woes united with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and reunited with all those gone before who also have professed their faith in Jesus.

We dedicate II Timothy 3:14 and 15 to Mom: &8220;But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.&8221; We are so thankful to have had a loving father and a loving mother who so faithfully prayed for us and instilled in us the wonderful truths found in the Bible leading us to a personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. May this be our legacy to our children and grandchildren as well.

Survivors include her son, Bernie and wife, Crystal Drenth and their children: Bennett and Felicia Drenth, Jennell and Brian Bandstra, and Daniel and Aletha Drenth; her daughter, Elgene and husband, Andy Van Dyk and their children: Gene and Lisa Van Dyk and Andrea and Mike Stueve; great-grandchildren: Madylyn Drenth and Anna, Joey, and Ellie Van Dyk.

Jennie was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Henry B. Drenth Jr., sister, Gertrude Redpath; and brother, Henry Veldman.