Kenneth Alvin Schaap, 91 years old, slipped the earthly bonds of this life to enter Heaven’s glory on Friday, November 14, 2025. Kenneth had been under the care of Hospice of Holland since March. His wife Marlene (nee, Elgersma] of nearly 72 years passed on to Heaven in January of 2024.
Kenneth was the son of William and Susan (Boeve) Schaap of Holland, Michigan. He had 10 siblings, Melvin, John, Mildred (Geurink), Julianna (Horton), Ella (Oetman), Ivan, Lloyd, Jay, Louis, and Bill. Louis, Ken’s older brother by two years, is the sole surviving member among the siblings.
Ken received Jesus Christ as his Savior when he was 12 years old at the side of his mother. He was a founding member of the Rose Park Baptist Church 67 years ago, where he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and bus captain, as well as singing in the choir. He loved his church and the several pastors who ministered over those 6 decades.
Ken’s priorities were his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, his wife and family, his church, and ministering through missions agencies to several third-world countries. He especially enjoyed travelling to China, West Africa, and the Philippines where he invested in the building of churches and schools and the training of national pastors.
One of his great joys was bringing boys and girls to Sunday school on a church bus. Over the 3 decades he worked as a bus captain, he brought thousands of children to Sunday school and taught many hundreds of them God’s wonderful plan of salvation. He was passionate about getting the Gospel to everyone, and the last person he brought to Jesus was a caregiver just days before his death.
Ken was a union carpenter until the late 1960’s when he and his wife Marlene built the Ken-Mar Mobile Home Park on the south side of Holland and managed that until the mid-1990’s. He had a great work ethic, as did many of his siblings, and always felt it a great privilege to work and to teach his children and grandchildren the joys and benefits of hard work. Ken loved to spend time in his flower gardens, and he and his daughter enjoyed a special bond planting and tending those gardens.
Ken and Marlene were classic snowbirds, vacationing in Florida annually during the cold months and frequently joining several of his siblings for the warm weather journey.
Kenneth is survived by his two children: Kristi (Roger) Lemmen, and Jack (Traci) Schaap; four grandchildren: Tami (Jeff) Parks, Thomas (Alana) Lemmen, Jaclynn (Todd) Weber, and Ken (Candace) Schaap: and 13 great-grandchildren.
The family expresses their gratitude to Hospice of Holland for their professional care and to Comfort Keepers for their personal caregiving.
The family also requests that any funeral tributes be made as donations to Hospice of Holland.
Services for Ken are being cared for by Lakeshore Funeral Services, 11939 James Street, in Holland. Viewing will be on Wednesday, November 19, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The funeral Service will be at the funeral home at 11 a.m. on Thursday the 20th, with a meal following. Interment will be at Pilgrim Home Cemetery.
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