Henry De Witt, age 97, of Grand Rapids, MI, passed away on Friday July 22, 2022 having lived a life of service and caring for others. Henry was born in Luctor, KS on December 29, 1924 to the late John and Susie De Witt. Along with his parents and his brother, Dick, he is preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Edith (Brouwer) De Witt. He will be missed by his sons and daughters-in-law, Daniel and Ginny De Witt and Craig and Sher De Witt; his grandchildren Michael (Missi), Colleen (Phillip) Lucker, Sam De Witt, Lauren (Tom) Cooper, Steven (Ashley) De Witt, Claire (Dan) Larabel, Emma De Witt; great-grandchildren, Mahalia, Elias and Theo De Witt, Desmond and Vivian Lucker, Harriet and Whitman Cooper, Eleanor and Everett Larabel. He will be greatly missed by his dear friend and care partner, Joanne VanderMey. He is survived by his sister, Cornelia VanderPloeg of Clinton, Iowa and sisters-in-law Marian Vruggink and Florence Schreur, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Henry proudly served his country in the Army in the years following WWII. Following his time in the Army he moved to Grand Rapids and attended Calvin College where he received a degree in teaching. Henry's first career as an educator including 30+ years at Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville, MI, teaching Biology, Psychology, and as a guidance counselor. After his retirement from teaching, a second career presented itself when he was asked to be the chaplain at Sunset Manor in Jenison, a position he enjoyed for 18 years.

Henry always valued friendship and sought out opportunities to show care to others. Henry was a long-time resident of Hudsonville. In later years he and Edith lived at Raybrook Manor in Grand Rapids, MI. While there, he earned the nickname "Muffin Man" by baking a nearly endless supply of bran muffins which he faithfully delivered to anyone in need of a friendly visit. Always quick with a smile and a follow-up question, he made it his mission to get to know people, whether that be a clerk in the grocery line, a waitress, or just the random individual he met through the course of his day. Within a short period of time he would somehow get to know their whole life story.

The family would like to thank Spectrum Health Hospice as well as Natalie and Maddie for the extraordinary care shown to their father. They would also like to give a special thanks to his hospice nurse, Rachel, for her expertise, warmth and compassion during these final days of their dad's life. The family will greet friends and relatives for visitation at Zaagman Memorial Chapel (2800 Burton St. SE, 49546) on Monday, July 25 from 2-4 & 6-8 pm. A memorial service, presided by Rev. Al Gelder, will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday, July 27 at 2:00 pm. A livestream of the service may be viewed by clicking a link on Henry's obituary page by visiting www.zaagman.com . A time of further fellowship and refreshments will take place following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Henry and Edith De Witt Service Scholarship. To make a memorial gift to the scholarship, you can send a gift to: Calvin University / Development Office, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. Please put the scholarship name in the memo line of the check. If they prefer to give electronically, you can go to the link: https://connect.calvin.edu/giving/give-to-calvin and select Named Scholarship in the "Choose a Designation" Field, and then type in the Scholarship Name in the Scholarship Specification Field.