Carla Brower passed away peacefully at home in Zeeland on September 12, 2025, due to complications from early-onset Alzheimer’s dementia.
Born on November 18, 1964, to Bill & Joan Jessick of Manistique, MI, Carla was the youngest of 4 daughters. As kids, they fought like cats and dogs, but as adults, she was blessed to call them her friends.
In between the adventures and various shenanigans of high school, Carla participated in HOSA, where she fell in love with nursing. She was never afraid of a challenge and pursued her nursing license while balancing being a single parent.
She became an LPN and cared deeply for her patients as a home health care and then a clinic triage nurse. Even when nursing was no longer her career, she never lost the drive to care for others.
Family was always central to Carla’s life. She met Kevin Brower in 1998; they married in 2002 and spent 23 years together at their home in Zeeland.
Together, they enjoyed traveling, rooting for their favorite teams (the Packers, Spartans, and all of the Detroit teams), and attending concerts. They also shared a strong faith and were members of Trinity Reformed Church in Holland, MI.
Carla loved lilacs, collecting Eeyore items, and had more Santas than you can imagine. She never lost the belief in the magic of Christmas and enjoyed decorating to the max each year.
Summer was her season; she loved to putter in the yard, soaking up the sun. Her favorite part of the warm weather was floating in the pool, an odd choice for someone who never learned to swim.
Carla’s legacy will live on in her kids; she was incredibly proud of the strong, passionate, loving women they became and never stopped cheering them on.
Carla was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Joan Jessick, her father-in-law, Harvey Brower, her sister, Mary Johnson, and her niece, Jessica Creighton. She is survived by her husband, Kevin Brower of Zeeland, her mother-in-law, Jan Brower of Holland, her daughters, Rachel (Jason) VanDenBrink of Allegan and Nicole James of Gaylord, and her sisters, Cathy (Jim) Creighton of Manistique and Nancy (James) Means of Zeeland.
A memorial gathering will be held at Trinity Reformed Church (712 Apple Ave, Holland, MI, 49423) on Saturday November 1st, with visitation from 10-12, a celebration of life at noon, and a luncheon to follow.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Greater Michigan Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or Hospice of Holland.
Arrangements are by the Dykstra Funeral Home-Mulder Chapel.
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