Johanna (Zegers) Duyst, 91, passed away on November 1, 2026.

Johanna grew up in Preakness, New Jersey, alongside her brother John, on the rose and evergreen nursery her parents owned. After school, she spent several hours each day helping with the family business. She attended North Fourth Street Elementary School in Prospect Park and graduated from Eastern Academy (now Eastern Christian High School) in 1952.

She later moved to Grand Rapids to attend Calvin College where she studied economics. Often the only woman in classes filled with men, she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1956. It was at Calvin that she met Peter Duyst. They married after graduation and made their home in Grand Rapids.

Johanna spent her early years raising their two young sons, Daniel and David. In 1961, she began working at the Calvin College library. She started in Circulation and later became an Acquisitions Librarian, a faculty position. While working at Calvin, she earned her master’s degree in library science from the University of Michigan. She retired in 1996 and later spent several years volunteering at Crossroads Prison Ministries and with MI-COPS.

Johanna was a longtime member of Boston Square Christian Reformed Church where she sang in the choir and served in the church library. In more recent years, she was a member of Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church.

Above all, Johanna will be remembered for her kind and gentle heart and her sweet, positive spirit. She was soft-spoken and exceptionally intelligent. She always saw the good in others and never spoke an unkind word. Her warmth and humility made her truly special. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Johanna is survived by her husband, Peter, and her grandchildren, Heather Breen (David), David Duyst Jr. (Jodie), Erica Duyst, Tiffany Fox (Nathan), and Captain Tim Duyst (Kristina). She is also survived by nine great-grandchildren, one great-great-granddaughter, her daughter-in-law, Vicki Van Wingerden (Randy), and her sister-in-law, Monique Zegers.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sons, Daniel and David, and her brother, John.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 9 at 11 am in the Raybrook Manor chapel, 2121 Raybrook St. SE, with one hour of visitation prior, beginning at 10 am. Memorial donations can be made in Johanna’s honor to Crossroads Prison Ministry.