Glenn R. Vink's Obituary
Glenn R. Vink, 57, lifetime resident of Spring Lake, Michigan, passed away unexpectedly.
Glenn was born on October 5th, 1962 to Sherman and Sharon (Klein) Vink in Grand Haven, Michigan. After graduating from Spring Lake High School in 1980 he went on to study Plastics Engineering Technology at Ferris State College. He then spent about 30 years at H.S. Die & Engineering working his way from a designer to become Engineer Manager. Over the past 3 years, Glenn worked at Flex-N-Gate as a Tooling Engineer in Warren, Michigan.
Glenn was married to his loving wife Susan (Laethem) Vink for 35 years. They recently moved to Clarkston, Michigan where Glenn spent time remodeling a condo for him and Sue. Glenn was a hands-on woodworker (which came from his father and grandfather). He always had a vision on how he wanted things done and made sure to provide Sue and his children with beautiful homes. From fishing, to boating, to cruises with family and friends, being on the water was one of Glenn’s favorite places to be. Glenn also loved to grill and work in his yard and home, and always took pride in everything he did.
Glenn was a very loyal son, brother, and friend. He would always help anyone in need and never expected anything in return. Most of all, he was a very loving husband and father. Glenn loved being a dad to Ryan and Chelsea and spent many years in hockey rinks where he coached some of Ryan’s teams (always with a little help from Sue on the sidelines). He also spent many years watching Chelsea cheer at cheerleading competitions and was so proud of both Ryan and Chelsea graduating from college and building lives of their own.
Glenn is survived by his wife Sue; children Ryan Vink of Holland, Chelsea Vink of Chicago; mother Sharon Vink of Spring Lake; mother-in-law Shirley Laethem of Gladwin; brothers Joel Vink of Terra Haute; Matthew & Stephanie Vink of Grand Haven; sister Elizabeth & Mark Mueller of Grafton; brothers-in-law Rick Laethem of Caro, Tom Laethem of Bradenton, Kevin & Teresa Laethem of St. Louis; sister-in-law Paula & Randy Vandemark of Lapeer; and several nieces and nephews who he loved dearly. He was preceded in death by his father Sherman Vink, father-in-law Paul Laethem, and niece Mackenzie Vink.
A Memorial Mass will be held 11:00 AM Friday, December 27, 2019 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Rev. David Gross officiating. Visitation will be held 5-8 PM Thursday, December 26, 2019 at The Spring Lake Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 213 E Savidge St, Spring Lake, MI 49456 and one hour prior to the service at church. Memorial Contribution in memory of Glenn may be given to Spring Lake School Foundation. Please sign the family’s online guestbook at www.sytsemafh.com.
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