ALLENDALE, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Feb. 5, 2022) – A long-time community benefactor has passed away.
Both Grand Valley State University and the Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission mourned the Thursday death of Beatrice “Bea” Idema at the age of 99. She and her husband Bill Idema, one of the leading figures in the growth of Grand Rapids-based office furniture maker Steelcase, were known for their philanthropy, especially when it came to her birthplace of Allendale.
Mrs. Idema helped establish the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons on GVSU’s main campus in Allendale, as well as the William “Bill” Idema Physics Scholarship, the Beatrice “Bea” A. Idema Nursing Endowed Scholarshp, and the Philip Peter Versluis Criminal Justice Scholarship. Mrs. Idema and her husband, who passed away in 2008, helped support the Grand Design Campaign that created GVSU’s Pew Campus in Grand Rapids.
Left-right: County Commissioner Matt Fenske, Judge Peter Versluis, Bea Idema, GVSU President Philomena V. Mantella, Ambassador Peter Secchia, and County Commissioner Greg DeJong at the Versluis GVSU Campus Segment of the Idema Explorers Trail ribbon cutting in 2019. (photo courtesy Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission)
Mrs. Idema was also a major factor in the growth of the Ottawa County parks system, mostly notably the Grand Ravines County Park and the Idema Explorers Park, as well as numerous other projects.
More details on her life and legacy can be found in her obituary. Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes on Lake Michigan Drive is handling the funeral arrangements, with a scheduled 11 AM service at that funeral home on February 23rd.
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