Mayneen Dykstra

Mayneen Jellema Dykstra entered the Church Triumphant on October 16, 2014. She was born at home during a terrible snow storm only a midwife could arrive by sleigh in time to assist delivery, on February 22, 1920 to William and Eileen Jellema in Strasburg, North Dakota. She attended Oshkosh Business College, Hope College, and Bradley University. Miss Jellema married The Reverend Francis C. Dykstra on June 25, 1943 serving pastorates in the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and Presbyterian Church (USA).

Mrs. Dykstra held RCA leadership positions as vice president of Church Women United, chair of the World Day of Prayer, and an officer for the Classical Union (Muskegon). She led the formation of the Classical Union of Zeeland and was elected Classical Youth Counselor (Harlem Reformed Church). She was Classical Union President, President of Church Women United, Synodical Children’s Work Counselor, and Board of Managers for Reformed Church Women member (Pekin, Illinois). In the Presbyterian Church (USA) she became the first president of the newly reorganized Presbytery of Great Rivers and was selected to participate in a 3-week Asian Encounter.

After retiring to Holland in 1985, Mayneen joined the First Presbyterian Church becoming active in the Presbyterian Women Association and the Presbytery. She was elected Elder; Vice Moderator of Committee on Ministry; chaired the Outreach Counsel, Cabinet on Mission, Witness, and Stewardship, and Presbyterian Women Enablers; served on the Stewardship Committee and the Committee on Preparation for Ministry. The National Convention of Retired Clergy, Spouses, and Survivors honored Mrs. Dykstra as an elder who contributed the most to her Presbytery in retirement.

Mrs. Dykstra’s career spanned teaching at Midstate College of Business in Peoria, Illinois to becoming the third woman Executive Director of the non-profit Consumer Credit Counseling Service. Her board honored her by naming their high school Tri-County $6,000 Essay contest on credit The Mayneen B Dykstra Essay Contest. She counseled thousands of individuals in budgeting and money management, and spoke to Consumer Education teachers in the States of Illinois and Wisconsin. She was pictured in two high school textbooks on consumer education; quoted in The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Sun Times, Kiplinger’s Changing times, Redbook Magazine; and was featured in an article “Women on the Go” in a Peoria newspaper. She was elected secretary on the Board of Trustees Executive Committee of the National Foundation for Consumer Credit. President Jimmy Carter had Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, request Mrs. Dykstra, even though as independent not of the Democratic Party, to participate in the SALT II discussion representing our country's American professional women in a debate the entire world had a stake.

Her community leadership included Presidencies of Pilot Club International, Business and Professional Women, Social Service Club, HASP, Women’s Literary Club, RICH (the first investment club of Holland) and Holland Hospital Auxiliary chairing the Lights of Love. Mrs. Dykstra was Treasurer of Credit Women, on the boards of Peoria’s Lakeview YWCA, Committee on Aging, and the International Board Central Illinois Agency on Aging.

Surviving are her children Sharon (Roger) Long of Punta Gorda, Florida, Marcia (Gary) Howe of Dimondale, Michigan and son Brian C Dykstra of Holland, Michigan, 14 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, and a brother William W. Jellema of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Holland, October 25, 2014 at 11:00 AM, proceeded by visitation at 10:00 AM, and followed by a luncheon. Memorials may be given to First Presbyterian Church of Holland. Arrangements are by Dykstra Funeral Home – Northwood Chapel. To sign an on-line registry or leave a memory please visit www.dykstrafuneralhome.com

The following is an article reprint from June, 2006 – First Presbyterian Church, Holland.

MAYNEEN DYKSTRA of Holland, Michigan has energetically served the denomination, and is the widow of the late Rev. Francis Dykstra. She is a past President of the Synod of Lincoln Trails and has seen the church in action around the world. Since retirement here in 1985 she has been active within the Lake Michigan Presbytery. She currently serves on CPM, but has previous service on COM (regional vice moderator); Stewardship Committee; Mission, Witness & Stewardship (chair); Nominating Committee; representative to the Board of Pensions; Face-to-Face (co-moderator); Task Force on Covenant of Agreement; Task Force concerning policies and procedures for implementing the Lay Pastor Office. She was a General Assembly commissioner to Denver, CO in 2003.

Honored as a life member of PW, Mayneen is a very active PW leader, attending several triennial meetings, and serving as chair of enablers of PW and local PW president in LMP. Her love of mission work and travel has been a wonderful resource. She was part of the Asian Encounter and spoke to women’s meetings in Tokyo, and toured the national PC office in Taipei. She was invited by Synod of the Covenant to a mission learning experience in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She is an elder in her local church, First Presbyterian of Holland, MI, and a past chair of the Outreach Council. This is by no means a complete listing, and LMP is honored to nominate Mayneen Dykstra.