MaryLou C. Rohlck, age 90, died at home on January 26, 2023, from complications of congestive heart failure, after a short time in hospice care.
MaryLou was born on April 1, 1932, in Port Huron Michigan, to Anthony and Lucile Bonadio; she was the oldest of five siblings. She attended Port Huron Junior College and Michigan State Normal School (now Eastern Michigan University). After graduation, MaryLou taught elementary school in Birmingham MI before moving to Holland in 1956, where she taught 6th grade at Van Raalte Elementary School. When her children were young MaryLou stopped teaching full-time and devoted her time to being a mother. As her children got older, she returned to substitute teaching in the Holland Public Schools.
After retiring from teaching, MaryLou found joy in working at an Allstate Insurance Agency. As a true “people person” she was a perfect fit for this work and served hundreds of clients over the 20 years she was there.
MaryLou was dedicated to her family, church, friends, and community, and was a consummate volunteer. She understood what it meant to serve her community and did so in many capacities. First and foremost, MaryLou was a woman of strong faith; she was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church for over 65 years. She was very involved in Women’s groups, Bible Study, the Altar Guild, and Outreach, and was a member of the Choir and the Handbell Choir. After her own diagnosis of breast cancer in the 1970s, she served as board president of the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and volunteered in the Reach to Recovery Program. She gave back to the city of Holland through her work on the Zoning Board and Planning Commission. As a member of the American Association of University Women, she served in many leadership roles, including President and Vice President, and inaugurated the annual used book sale that grew to be a major annual event. Her children have fond memories of boxes of books piled in the garage ready to be sorted. MaryLou loved theater and concerts, meals out with her many friends, her book groups, Detroit Tigers baseball, and University of Michigan football.
MaryLou’s dedication to volunteering also was evident in her work at the Holland Hospital information desk. She was a fixture there well into her 80s and only stopped because Covid restrictions demanded it. It was very evident in the last months of her life, when she had several hospitalizations, that not a day would go by when someone in the hospital would recognize her and come and check-in.
MaryLou is predeceased by her parents and all of her siblings, (Anthony, James, Patricia, and Marc) and her beloved daughter Lisabeth. She is survived by her daughter Theresa Rohlck, her son Eric (Gabriela) Rohlck, her grandsons Anton (Erin Blackburn) Sasmitamanggala, Mario Sulaksana, Aidan Celner, Jonathan Celner, Dante Rohlck, and two great-grandsons, Griffin and Miles Sasmitamanggala, as well as a sister-in-law, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
Eric and Theresa wish to thank the staff at Appledorn North and Hospice of Holland for their love, compassion, and gentle care extended to MaryLou and the entire family. They were a source of great comfort during a very challenging time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Holland Hospital Lights of Love or the Holland Hospital Fund Development – Breast Care Fund (https://www.hollandhospital.org/hh/donate.aspx); or the Zion Lutheran Church Benevolent Fund or the music ministries at Zion (https://secure.myvanco.com/L-YSHP/home).
A celebration of MaryLou’s life will be held at 11 am ET on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church, 77 West 32nd St, Holland, MI 49423. Reverend Ryan Winningham will be officiating; a live stream of the service will be available at https://www.zionholland.com. Arrangements are by Dykstra Funeral Homes – Mulder Chapel in Holland.
Comments