Mr. Philip D. Tjapkes' Obituary
Mr. Philip D. Tjapkes, 74, passed away Saturday, February 14, 2015 in Marietta, OH. Phil was born July 19, 1940 to Jacob and Florence (Dykema) Tjapkes in Muskegon, and moved to Marietta in 1999. He graduated from Western Michigan Christian High School, and then attended Muskegon Community College. Phil had been a long time member of First Christian Reformed Church, where he served as a Cadet Counselor. He was employed at Yonker Supply Company, and later retired from Hackley Hospital. He loved outdoor sports, including deer hunting and ice fishing, vacationing on Siesta Key and Upper Silver Lake. He was very talented and could fix just about anything. On May 6, 1961 Phil married Nancy Anne Dekker, and she survives him along with 4 children and their spouses, Anita (Mark) Curtis, Becki (Randy) Fisher, David (Delynne) Tjapkes, John (Angela) Tjapkes; grandchildren, Jennifer Veltman, MD (Chris) Veltman, Jillian Curtis (Adolfo Jr. Yanez), Steven (Cathy) Curtis, Jeffrey Curtis, Patrick (Aida) Fisher, Christofer Fisher, Randee Anne Tjapkes, Nicholas Tjapkes, Wyatt and Olivia Tjapkes; great-grandhchildren, Judah and Alexander Veltman, Tatiana and Erik Yanez, Brianna Schaallema, Julian Yanez, Thomas and Isabel Curtis, Hunter Sowala, Emily and Natalie Fisher. They were all the light of his life. Phil is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Marilyn Tjapkes, Margaret Danhof, Arlene (Bill) Akker; several nieces and nephews whom he loved like his grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Florence; in-laws, Herman and Marjorie Dekker; brother, David; brother-in-law, Charles Danhof; and an infant sister. The funeral service for Phil will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, February 20, at The Sytsema Chapel, 737 Apple Ave., (231) 726-5210. Burial will take place at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation at the funeral home will be from 5-8 PM Thursday evening. You may visit the family’s online guestbook at www.sytsemafh.com Contributions in memory of Mr. Tjapkes may be made to Muskegon Christian School or Western Michigan Christian High School.
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