Joanne Hoeksema's Obituary
Dear Mom,
I want you to know just how much I love you and how happy I am to know you love me, too! How can I thank you enough for carrying me nine months and bringing me into this world, all while you were teaching other kids English and Physical Education in our then-hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan? Thank you for taking care of me while my father (Herman D. Hoeksema) finished his schooling, and thank you giving me a sister while we spent time in Phoenix, Arizona. Thank you for introducing me to wonderful friends and family during our time in Madison, Wisconsin. Thank you for the tuna noodle casseroles you made for us at our home on Easthill Drive in Muskegon, Michigan. Thank you for the summer vacations with Grandma and Grandpa (Erwin and Adrianna Wognum). Thank you for the times we spent with Uncle Paul, Aunt Cindy and my cousins in and around South Holland, Illinois, where you grew up, and particularly for the times on the dance floor at all those family weddings! Thank you for the hot soup that warmed me up after surfing the frigid waters of Lake Michigan. Thank you for your interest in art and for starting a gallery in Grand Haven, Michigan and for helping me become a photographer. Thank you for loving my beautiful partner (Christine Lilley) who admired you even before she and I had met. Thank you for hanging in there all these years, through the pain and suffering, so I could still have you as a mother. Thank you for the smiles, and for allowing me to kiss you on the forehead and run my fingers through your beautiful hair. Thank you for remembering my name until the day you died, and - most importantly - thank you for my three favorite words: “I love you”.
Love,
Your son, Marc
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