Durrell L. Verberkmoes

Durrell Verberkmoes was born with a lot of good sense - a good sense of fun, that is - that permeated everything he did whether he was at work or at play. An extremely hardworking man, Durrell never failed to take time to put to use his dry sense of humor much to the joy and delight of his family. Durrell was born on January 29, 1940 to Howard and Edith (Rose) Verberkmoes who were already the parents of four other children: sisters, Patsy, Sharon and Bonnie, and brother, Howard, Jr. His father, Howard, was a fireman for the City of Grand Haven. It was a dangerous job, done by men with adventurous spirits. It was a spirit that Howard definitely passed on to his sons. Edith may have had the more difficult job, trying to corral in those spirited boys of hers. They certainly managed to pull off some amazing stunts. A favorite was jumping the trains that passed near their home in downtown Grand Haven, riding the rails all the way out to Robbins Road and then making the long walk back home. They also loved the diving platform, that is, the roof of the downtown dock center, that required them to clear concrete pads before diving cleanly into the channel. They didn't always avoid injury. Howard cut his foot, badly, while they swam in the Central Park Fountain and Durrell speared his own while aiming for a struggling carp. Durrell survived both his injury and his energetic childhood, and, at 16, joined the National Guard with his friend, Dick. They attended the annual Memorial Day Service at the Presbyterian Church. Dick's girlfriend, and future wife, was also in attendance with her friend, Carol Rhodea. Pat convinced Carol it would be okay to ride home in the back seat with Durrell. Dick took a corner real fast, just at the moment when Durrell had got up the nerve to put his arm around her, sending Carol right into Durrell. She said, "You took me by surprise with that one!" And, so, began a lifelong joke between them, whenever the eternal prankster, Durrell, would catch Carol off guard, he'd say, "Took you by surprise with that one..." Putting his arm over the shoulder of a surprised seatmate was also the way Durrell rode roller coasters. He would sit there nonchalantly, completely nonplussed, spouting one-liners as the ride took one terrifying turn after another. The other passengers may have looked a little shaky at the end, but Durrell always looked as if he'd been doing nothing more than sitting on a porch swing. Trips to Cedar Point were a favorite family outing even up until today, with Durrell loving every ride, and riding them all day long to ensure they got their money's worth! After a bout of cold feet, the young couple married on August 18, 1961 in the living room of Carol's parents with a reception at the Christian School. The school, and the Reformed Church, would play a large role in the lives of their young family. The children all attended the school and they would attend church twice on Sundays and faithfully go to Wednesday Family Night. Durrell and Carol had daughter Kim in 1962, and son Terry in 1965, followed by Cindy in 1971, and Dan in 1973. Durrell worked for Carol's dad as a carpenter in his construction company before becoming a welder at Grand Haven Stamped Products. Many may not know that he also considered a career as a hairdresser and attended Daniels Beauty School. If people didn't know this, because he cut all the children's hair, and his own, they learned it soon enough when he would surprise them with his long-haired, brunette training mannequin that seemed to come out of nowhere as they walked down a hallway or that found its way into their sleeping bag on a camping trip! Little jokes like that were one of the ways Durrell showed affection. He never missed an opportunity to play a little prank on his children - whether secretly filming teenaged Kim as she sunbathed in a kiddy pool or tickling an ear as they studied - Durrell filled his children's lives with love and laughter. And he spent time with his children doing the simple things that say, "I love you." Many a Sunday was spent walking with Durrell and the dogs on the trails and beaches along Lake Michigan. And cold, winter Saturdays were spent ice fishing on Bass Lake near Pentwater. There was never a lot of money, but always a lot of love. Even when the opportunity came up for Durrell and Carol to go out to eat alone, Durrell would say, "We can't do that. It's not fair for the kids to miss all the fun." So any thoughts of an elegant dinner for two turned into a family dinner for six at Burger Chef or Ponderosa. No doubt the evening would end with Durrell walking his children off to bed - wheelbarrow-style! Despite having a large and active family, Durrell took special care to develop a relationship with each of his kids. Durrell took up hunting again when Terry showed an interest. He spent many an hour under the hoops rebounding for Dan and filming his games from the stands. He and Cindy created many crafts together; Durrell carefully cutting and sanding the wood while Cindy did the painting. And when he went to visit Kim and family, he happily completed every item on her fix-it list. And whenever anyone asked if they could help, he would say, "Maybe tomorrow," but when tomorrow came he had the job done. Durrell was meticulous with every project he took on. He was never happier than when he was making and staining furniture or working in his garden. Durrell found it difficult to sit still, so he always found something to do, even in the kitchen where he and Carol, together, made gallons of homemade salsa and the jam that graced the toast he ate for breakfast each and every morning. His family can really only remember one project that was hard to convince Durrell to start - the deck of their home that had outlived its usefulness (except as his greenhouse) a number of years ago. Carol would remind Durrell it needed fixing, and he, good-naturedly, would reply, "Why? You never walk on it." And Carol's reply? "Only because you told me it wasn't safe!" Last year Durrell built his wife a beautiful deck. And despite offers of help, he did it his way - alone. Because he was such a hard worker, Durrell found it hard to take time off. When Kim married Brad, a Coast Guard officer, she began a life of moving from station to station. And they lived in some pretty beautiful places. Carol would make the plans to travel out to Washington or to Hawaii and Durrell would use one of his two favorite phrases "I'm-not-going" (the other is, "I-don't-want-any"). But once he was on his way, he never failed to have a good time and to be grateful to his family for making him go. Never was this more true than when they gave Durrell, an avid NASCAR fan, tickets every Father's Day to the Michigan Speedway. This past spring they convinced him to take a trip to the Bristol Raceway in Tennessee. Still, his real passion was his family and when his grandchildren came along they stole his heart. In 1986 Durrell brought home an aboveground pool that had been neglected and made it a wonderful summer retreat where many summer memories were created. His five-year-old grandson won't take off his flannel shirt because he wants to be just like his Grandpa who only wore flannel shirts in the winter and checked, short-sleeved sport shirts in the summer. Durrell's grandchildren will remember their grandpa every time they see an ant. He put them to work, and kept them occupied many a time, ridding the driveway of the ants that he said threatened to cave it in at any moment! Yes, born with a fun-loving spirit, Durrell made life an adventure for all those who knew and loved him. It is a spirit given by his father and loved by his wife, and his family and friends. And it is a spirit that has been passed on to his children. Durrell will be greatly missed but his amazing spirit will always live on. Mr. Durrell L. VerBerkmoes, age 66, of Grand Haven, died unexpectedly, Friday, August 4, 2006. He was born in Grand Haven, MI on January 29, 1940, to Howard and Edith (Rose) VerBerk-moes; and married the former Carol Rhodea on August 18, 1961. Mr. VerBerkmoes had been a carpenter for Ed Rhodea Construction, before becoming a welder at Grand Haven Stamped Products. He retired in 2003 after 29 years at GHSP. He attended Lakeshore Baptist Church, and enjoyed gardening, fishing and woodworking. He loved his children and grandchildren, was a hard worker and a good provider. Durrell was a very caring husband, selfless in devotion to wife and family. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Carol; two sons, Terry (Yvonne) VerBerkmoes of N. Muskegon and Daniel (Dawn) VerBerkmoes of Lake City; two daughters, Kimberly (Brad) Nelson of Norway, MI and Cindy (Matthew) Moore of Fruitport; eight grandchildren: Michael and Stephanie Nelson; Tristen Russell, Zachary and Tanner Durrell Moore, and Garrett, Grayson and Gabrielle VerBerkmoes; a sister, Patsy (Melvin) Peterson of Grand Haven; and a brother, Howard (Mary) VerBerkmoes of Grand Haven. Durrell was preceded in death by his parents; and two sisters, Bonnie (Bob) Wierenga and Sharon (Orin) Sheffield.