Mary Lou Assink, age 72 passed away at Rest Haven Care Center on September 30 following a brave six-and-a-half-year battle with metastatic breast cancer.
Mary was a lifelong resident in the Holland area and a member of Fellowship Church. She graduated from West Ottawa High School in 1968 and has been on the class reunion committee for many years.
She worked at Herman Miller Incorporated for nearly 38 years, retiring in 2006. Mary was a self-made woman. Her career started with HMI working out on the plant floor. In her first year of working a supervisor saw her potential and hired her into an office position. She was the first woman to work in that capacity. Over the years she worked in purchasing, inventory control, and new product development. For many years she helped test and implement the main frame manufacturing system. Mary spent many months training employees on how to use the manufacturing side of the system in Zeeland, Holland, Roswell Georgia, Cary North Carolina, and Bath England. She finished her career working as a manufacturing representative in new product development. Her special ability to train people helped her to develop lifelong special friendships.
Mary enjoyed doing a lot of different things. In her younger days, she was a pitcher on many softball teams, particularly Sun Glow. She was a lifelong golfer being a member of Grand Haven Golf Course and played on the Spirit League for many years. She played winter golf at Ventura Country Club in Orlando Florida. She was one of Hope College Women’s Basketball’s biggest fans starting in the late eighties through last year’s National Championship. She developed close relationships with many of the players and their families. For years she treated the team to a steak dinner at the end of the season. Mary was a personal host to other teams playing in National Championships at Hope College. She loved to garden and maintain her beautiful landscape. Her tomato plants were the talk of the neighborhood and the salsa was even better. She loved to travel. Mary hiked the Presidential Range in the White Mountains, She went to Kenya to visit friends and many game parks. Mary took trips to Europe, Hawaii, Aruba, South Carolina, and several National Parks out West.
Her greatest challenge in life was fighting metastatic breast cancer. She was a trooper. All her friends and family rode the bus on that long journey. After every scan she would update her journey and a flood of support would fill her heart with courage to continue the fight.
Mary was the daughter of Herman and Hazel Assink. She is survived by Jeanne Steber; siblings, Randy Assink, Luann and Dave DeFeyter, Bev Assink and Chris Geerlings; nieces & nephews, Stephanie and Andy Putman, Michelle and Russell Bullock, David and Jamie DeFeyter, Brian and Lisa Brinks, Bryan and Trisha Assink, 14 great nieces and nephews, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A visitation will take place on Tuesday, October 4 from 4-7 pm at Dykstra Funeral Home – Northwood Chapel, 295 Douglas Ave. Funeral service will take place on Wednesday, October 5 at 11:00 am at Fellowship Reformed Church, 2165 W Lakewood Blvd, Holland, MI 49424.
We would like to thank all of the phenomenal and compassionate medical staff at the South Washington Family Medical Office (Dr. Stid), the Cancer and Hematology Office (Dr. Batts), Holland Hospital Emergency Department, and the 5′” Floor Medical/Surgical Department, Rest Haven Jacob’s Cottage Caregivers and Hospice of Holland.
Contributions to honor Mary may be made to Resilience, Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity, or Gateway Mission.
