Photo by R.C.Wheater Sr.

Christine DeWeerd enjoys reading and watching the view from the big front window of her house in Fremont.

“I haven’t seen a doctor in over two years”

Fremont woman has 100 years of memories

By R.C.Wheater Sr.

From her reading chair near the big front window she had installed in her house on State St., Christine DeWeerd can see the approach of another autumn.

It is something she has seen for 100 years, most of them on the property that her Dutch immigrant parents started farming when she was a six-year-old girl.

Along with the view from the big window, she also enjoys the view of the world that she receives from books.

“I enjoy reading,” she said in a strong, steady voice. “I’ve read every book ever written about the presidents of the United States, from George Washington to the present.”

She was asked to name her favorite president.

“I think Truman was as good as any we’ve had,” she replied, adding that the current president is at or near the other end of her personal presidential scale.

Christine DeWeerd was born on Oct. 7, 1906 on the Hollowell farm a few miles from Fremont. Her parents, Kees and Neeltje Kole, had come from the Netherlands in 1904, using money borrowed from the farm owner to pay for their voyage to the United States.

Asked if reaching 100 was a goal she pursued, she said that her health and long life, like her family’s history, are a testament to the hand of Providence.

“I say it’s up to God,” she said. “The Bible says there’s a time to be born and a time to die. God makes those decisions; I don’t.”

Christine was the youngest of the Kole family’s six children. She was still a small child when her father bought a 40-acre farm in the City of Fremont. DeWeerd remembers that the owner agreed to sell the farm for $4,000, with no payments for three years other than the property taxes and interest, which was three percent.

She also remembers a September fire that destroyed the house. Her

mother and the children were picking pickles and could not see the fire, which was blamed on a faulty chimney, until it was well underway. Her father was helping with the threshing on a neighboring farm. She remembers the threshing crew forming a bucket brigade in a successful effort to keep the fire from spreading to the barn. The city’s fire hoses would not reach to the farm at the time.

She remembers that a china cabinet full of dishes was rescued from the house only to be trampled and all the dishes broken in a collision with an onlooker rushing to the scene.

Kees Kole bought a carload of bricks through the Fremont Cooperative Produce Company and John Smith, a neighbor and stone mason, built the brick house in which Christine DeWeerd now lives. The family moved into the new house in the fall of 1912.

In 1911, Kees Kole walked to White Cloud along the railroad tracks, intending to become a U.S. citizen. At the courthouse, he was told that he had come a year too soon. He returned the next year and, on December 9, 1912, the Clerk of the Newaygo County Circuit Court issued a Certificate of Naturalization listing he and his wife and their children.

The family was active in the Reformed Church in Fremont, and family life included daily Bible readings and prayer at each meal. People in the community also became accustomed to hearing the Kole family’s singing after the Sunday noon meal.

The children learned Dutch before they learned English, and sang Dutch songs for church Christmas programs. In a family history she wrote in 1983, DeWeerd recalls that her father continued to read from the Dutch Bible all his life, but encouraged his children to learn English and learn to fit into American society.

After graduating from Fremont High School in 1925, she went on

to nursing school at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. She met Gerrit DeWeerd in Grand Rapids and eventually married him, but she delayed her wedding in order to care for her mother, who was dying of cancer.

Gerrit and Christine DeWeerd married in 1936 and lived in Detroit and Ann Arbor before moving to the Kole family farm in Fremont. Kees Kole lived with them for a time before he died of cancer in 1946.

In 1948, the DeWeerds purchased the 40-acre farm from the other heirs. Over the years, the farmland has been sold and subdivided, with some of the original farm property now belonging to Gerber Products and some still in agricultural production.

In 1972, the DeWeerds donated five acres of the property for the building of the Church of the Living Christ.

Christine DeWeerd continues to be active in the life of the church and enjoys worshipping on property that was given as a memorial to her parents’ faith.

A friend from church, MaryAnn Saxton, started doing some house-cleaning for her 10 years ago. The job and their relationship developed over the years, and Saxton is now a live-in caregiver. However, with her 100th birthday little more than a week away, Christine DeWeerd appears to be remarkably healthy.

“I haven’t seen a doctor in over two years,” she said. “The Bible says when you’re healthy you don’t need a physician, so I don’t think I need to go to the doctor.”

Birthday Open House planned

An open house in honor of Christine DeWeerd’s 100th birthday will be held on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Church of the Living Christ at 605 Hemlock in Fremont.





Photo by R.C.Wheater Sr. Christine DeWeerd enjoys reading and watching the view from the big front window of her house in Fremont. “I haven’t seen a doctor in over two years” Fremont woman has 100 years of memories

By R.C.Wheater Sr. From her reading chair near the big front window she had installed in her house on State St., Christine DeWeerd can see the approach of another autumn. It is something she has seen for 100 years, most of them on the property that her Dutch immigrant parents started farming when she was a six-year-old girl. Along with the view from the big window, she also enjoys the view of the world that she receives from books. “I enjoy reading,” she said in a strong, steady voice. “I’ve read every book ever written about the presidents of the United States, from George Washington to the present.” She was asked to name her favorite president. “I think Truman was as good as any we’ve had,” she replied, adding that the current president is at or near the other end of her personal presidential scale. Christine DeWeerd was born on Oct. 7, 1906 on the Hollowell farm a few miles from Fremont. Her parents, Kees and Neeltje Kole, had come from the Netherlands in 1904, using money borrowed from the farm owner to pay for their voyage to the United States. Asked if reaching 100 was a goal she pursued, she said that her health and long life, like her family’s history, are a testament to the hand of Providence. “I say it’s up to God,” she said. “The Bible says there’s a time to be born and a time to die. God makes those decisions; I don’t.” Christine was the youngest of the Kole family’s six children. She was still a small child when her father bought a 40-acre farm in the City of Fremont. DeWeerd remembers that the owner agreed to sell the farm for $4,000, with no payments for three years other than the property taxes and interest, which was three percent. She also remembers a September fire that destroyed the house. Her	mother and the children were picking pickles and could not see the fire, which was blamed on a faulty chimney, until it was well underway. Her father was helping with the threshing on a neighboring farm. She remembers the threshing crew forming a bucket brigade in a successful effort to keep the fire from spreading to the barn. The city’s fire hoses would not reach to the farm at the time. She remembers that a china cabinet full of dishes was rescued from the house only to be trampled and all the dishes broken in a collision with an onlooker rushing to the scene. Kees Kole bought a carload of bricks through the Fremont Cooperative Produce Company and John Smith, a neighbor and stone mason, built the brick house in which Christine DeWeerd now lives. The family moved into the new house in the fall of 1912. In 1911, Kees Kole walked to White Cloud along the railroad tracks, intending to become a U.S. citizen. At the courthouse, he was told that he had come a year too soon. He returned the next year and, on December 9, 1912, the Clerk of the Newaygo County Circuit Court issued a Certificate of Naturalization listing he and his wife and their children. The family was active in the Reformed Church in Fremont, and family life included daily Bible readings and prayer at each meal. People in the community also became accustomed to hearing the Kole family’s singing after the Sunday noon meal. The children learned Dutch before they learned English, and sang Dutch songs for church Christmas programs. In a family history she wrote in 1983, DeWeerd recalls that her father continued to read from the Dutch Bible all his life, but encouraged his children to learn English and learn to fit into American society. After graduating from Fremont High School in 1925, she went on	to nursing school at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. She met Gerrit DeWeerd in Grand Rapids and eventually married him, but she delayed her wedding in order to care for her mother, who was dying of cancer. Gerrit and Christine DeWeerd married in 1936 and lived in Detroit and Ann Arbor before moving to the Kole family farm in Fremont. Kees Kole lived with them for a time before he died of cancer in 1946. In 1948, the DeWeerds purchased the 40-acre farm from the other heirs. Over the years, the farmland has been sold and subdivided, with some of the original farm property now belonging to Gerber Products and some still in agricultural production. In 1972, the DeWeerds donated five acres of the property for the building of the Church of the Living Christ. Christine DeWeerd continues to be active in the life of the church and enjoys worshipping on property that was given as a memorial to her parents’ faith. A friend from church, MaryAnn Saxton, started doing some house-cleaning for her 10 years ago. The job and their relationship developed over the years, and Saxton is now a live-in caregiver. However, with her 100th birthday little more than a week away, Christine DeWeerd appears to be remarkably healthy. “I haven’t seen a doctor in over two years,” she said. “The Bible says when you’re healthy you don’t need a physician, so I don’t think I need to go to the doctor.” Birthday Open House planned An open house in honor of Christine DeWeerd’s 100th birthday will be held on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Church of the Living Christ at 605 Hemlock in Fremont.