wow, our old missionary friend had a HUGE family [2011,RIP] "Verna Boeve, 89"[mother of Joe] - Holland Sentinel - Holland, MI

just came across this obituary for the mother of Joe Boeve, who I met during a philippines summer mission with my denomination, the Christian Reformed Church [CRC]. Joe was our leader for most of the summer in the Philippines, and came up with various skits & other evangelical presentations for us to do in front of large Filipino crowds in various places on several islands around the Filipines. I call him a "friend" albeit he was enigmatic in character...seemed to be negatively judgmental of me, not sure why. I was still fairly young at the time [1992, i was only 25-yo, albeit maybe seemed "old" to some of the 20-year olds]. After the mission, I went off on my own to Hong Kong & China, which seemed to annoy Joe, who apparently thought I should fly home with the rest of the group. I don't think he realized that I had been traveling worldwide already on my own for several years, including school in hawaii, teaching and mission work in costa rica, semester in spain/England, among other things. He seemed to need to narrate us all to be naive young college kids and him the wise elder. Even more strange, after I returned to the USA, I was in california and received a call from him. He had flown all the way from the Philippines for a pastor's conference at the Crystal Cathedral. Seemed like he did it intentionally, knowing my dad worked there at the time as a pastor, ...so he calls me on the phone and asks me if I want to go to a movie. A movie, with him? I didn't get it. But I felt compelled to be nice to him, and so I said yes. But it got even more wierd in the middle of the movie, a secular "coming-of-age" film [ can't remember the name of it]...anyways, he said some strange things in the middle of the movie..; after the movie I dropped him off at the hotel, and have never seen him again, although he emailed me once. Whatever the case may be, he and his wife Kate and their son Mack et al are in my prayers...

"
She is survived by her children, Kathy and Ron Sikkema of Rochester, MN, Mike and Lois Boeve of Holland, Jane Boeve of Adrian, Ruth Haverdink of Zeeland, Dona and Jerry Schmidt of Holland and Boyne City, Tim Boeve of Sonoma, CA, Joe Boeve of Holland; daughter-in-law, Kate Boeve, Bob and Sally Boeve of Traverse City and Jeff and Jane Boeve of Grand Haven; as well as 34 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Dorothy Ruisard;..."
http://m.hollandsentinel.com/article/20110303/NEWS/303039843

-vk-