A celebration of the Work of God in the Life of
Herman de Jong
born January 11, 1932 – Vlagtwedde, Groningen, the Netherlands
died July 27, 2004 – Jordan Station, Ontario, Canada
He leaves behind his beloved wife of 49 years,
Stiny de Jong – van der Laan
Children
Henry & Wendy de Jong
Wayne & Marcia de Jong
Edwin & Cindy de Jong
Gerine & Philip de Jong Vriend
David de Jong & Amy Anderson
Christina & Paul de Jong Lantinga
Paul de Jong
Grandchildren
Michael, Jovita & Laura
Janine, Sarah & Mark
Amy & Blake
Silas, Justin & Adam
Evan
Simon & Gabriela
Brothers and Sisters
Cees (†) & Janny de Jong, Truus & Jan Boot, Sense & Corrie de Jong, Jaap &
Mattie de Jong, Hennie & John Kuipers
Harry & Renate van der Laan, Hank & Anne van der Laan,
Co & Alice van der Laan, Rika van der Laan,
Diane van der Laan-Feunekes
Officiating: Pastor Peter Slofstra & Mr. Steve Koster
Organist: Mr. Philip Gardner
Jubilee Fellowship Christian Reformed Church
13 Wilholme Drive, St. Catharines, Ontario
July 31, 2004
(click on any link to see and
hear that part)
| Organ Chorale Prelude: “Liebster Jesu”, J.S. Bach | |
| Philip Gardner, Organ | |
| Welcome and Prayer | |
| Pastor Peter Slofstra | |
| Scripture: Psalm 121 | |
| Paul de Jong | |
| Song: "Children of the Heavenly Father" (PH
440) Scripture: Psalm 27 |
|
| David de Jong | |
| Song: "A Mighty Fortress" (PH 469) | |
| Prayer | |
| Henry de Jong | |
| Meditation:
“Gottes Zeit is die allerbeste Zeit”, J.S. Bach, Cantata 106, (also played at the funerals of both Harm and Dina van der Laan) |
|
| Henry de Jong, Recorder; Philip Gardner, Organ | |
| Scripture: Romans 14:7-9 | |
| Gerine de Jong | |
| Meditation | |
| Pastor Peter Slofstra | |
| Confession: “Crucifixus -- Et Ressurexit”, J.S. Bach, Mass in B Minor | |
| (from a recording of a Chorus Niagara concert that
Herman attended and in which son Henry and brother Sense sang) |
|
| Song:
"In Christ Alone" Confession: “I Am Not My Own” (Lord’s Day 1), Edwin de Jong |
|
| Edwin de Jong, Piano and Vocal | |
| Reflections by family members | |
| Wayne de Jong | |
| Christina de Jong | |
| Henny de Jong Kuipers | |
| Sense de Jong | |
| Paul de Jong | |
| Meditation: "I know that my Redeemer liveth", G.F. Handel, Messiah | |
| Amy Anderson de Jong, David de Jong, Soloists; Philip Gardner, Organ |
|
| Song: "A Shout Rings Out" (PH 392) Meditation: “The Day You Gave Us, Lord, is Ended” |
|
| Mark de Jong, Bagpipes | |
| Benediction | |
| Henry de Jong | |
| Parting Song: "Christ be with me" | |
| (from a recording by Herman de Jong some 15 years ago) | |
| Organ Postlude: “Fantasia in G Major”, J.S. Bach | |
| Philip Gardner, Organ | |
"We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to
ourselves.
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For to this end Christ died and lived again,
so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
Romans 14:7-9
Herman de Jong
January 11, 1932 – July 27, 2004
Herman de Jong – a wonderfully made child of God, talented son of Hendrik and Hebowina de Jong, dear brother to five siblings, beloved husband of Stiny de Jong (nee van der Laan), loving father to seven children and their spouses, and devoted Opa to 14 grandchildren.
He was born in 1932 in Vlagtwedde, the Netherlands. Moving soon to Winschoten, and in the embrace of Christian home and schools, he showed an early talent for music and organ playing and pursued his calling to be a teacher. In 1953 he emigrated to Canada, following Stiny van der Laan whom he married two years later. He taught for 16 years, mostly at Sarnia Christian School. During that time their seven children were born and the household flourished. In 1970 he opened the “Little Shop” and became a furniture upholsterer. A few years after moving to Jordan Station in 1979 he changed tacks and started working as development director for Salem Christian Mental Health Association and then for Friendship Groups Canada. All the while, from ~1943-2003, a full 60 years, he served as organist and, sometimes, choir director in various churches, exercising his passion for music. Especially in his later years, his talent for writing also bore much fruit.
Music was his passion, an important means of expression and fulfilment that enriched countless people and many congregations. For sixty years playing the organ and accompanying singing brought him closer to God, just as it did for many who listened and were led. Teaching was more than a job for him: many students and musicians learned from him and remember him fondly. Writing was another outlet for his creative, questioning mind and wonderful imagination. Especially in later years, his stories and articles provided much wisdom, insight, and amusement. He was a tireless promoter of Christian causes that he believed in: school societies, CLAC, ICS, Salem, Friendship, and CRWRC. Working with his hands was his joy: he turned many gardens, he was a skilled upholsterer, and the furniture he made graces his home and the homes of his loved ones.
Herman de Jong impacted many, many lives. We will all miss him. We loved him dearly, as he loved all of us, and we know that he loved the Lord. In his poem entitled “A Good Friday,” which is about his profession of faith at the age of 18, he quotes from the hymn “O Sacred Head Now Wounded:”
“Oh, make me thine forever, And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love for Thee."
His dearest hope has been realized.
The cover illustration, a wood cut by Matt
Cupido, shows the lighthouse
on Herman de Jong's beloved island of Terschelling, the ancestral home of the de
Jongs