Bastian (Bas) Blok

A humble, and hardworking man, Bastian Blok was an inspiration to those around him. He was a self-made man who was passionate about being a fruit farmer and finding new and innovative ways to advance the industry. Bas was filled with joy to share the majority of his life’s journey with the love of his life with whom he witnessed his family grow to include the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The joys of his life included the accomplishments of his children and teaching his son Alvin everything he knew so he could one day take over the operation of the farm. Filled with timeless wisdom and a heart of compassion, there was no one who met Bas and left unchanged. Although he will be missed, the priceless collection of memories he created with his family and friends will remain.

The effects of Great Depression were felt worldwide including in the Netherlands as it crippled their economy longer than it did in other European countries. The depression led to high unemployment, widespread poverty, and increasing social unrest throughout the 1930s and beyond. It was just prior to the historic crash of the stock market in 1929 that Gerrit and Trijntje (Visser) Blok were blessed with the birth of the baby boy they named Bastian in Ridderkerk, The Netherlands on May 4, 1928. He was one of five children in his family, and he was raised alongside his three sisters and one brother. The Blok family farmed, and he along with siblings worked alongside their father raising fruit and vegetables. Bastian was raised in the Christian faith and received an education at local schools, later receiving an advanced education that was focused on farming, particularly on fruit farming. Although Bas and his family were not members of any church they were part of a group of families who gathered weekly in their homes to worship and pray.

Life was difficult for the people of the Netherlands during Bas’s teen years as he witnessed firsthand the German occupation during WWII. It was commonplace to see soldiers in the streets and bombs being dropped on nearby cities. These were very uncertain times in the lives of the family, which was difficult for the younger children to cope with. Bas was not able to be in the military as he came to find out that he had been exposed to tuberculosis at some point while growing up.

When Bas was old enough to live and work away from home, his father suggested that he move to Canada as their was no more land to farm in their country, and immigrating to Canada was even encouraged by the Dutch government. Bas left the Netherlands just after “The Great Flood” and arrived in Canada in 1953 and began working on a farm and doing construction work.

It was while visiting some relatives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that Bas met the young girl of his dreams. Her name was Anna Staal, and they met on a blind date. They began dating and later married on August 5, 1960, deeply in love. They initially settled in Canada as Bas was still a Canadian citizen, and he continued to farm and work at a steel company. After a time he and Anna were thrilled to welcome their first two daughters into their hearts and home which would eventually consist of five children: Tina, Shirley, Gary, Barb and Alvin. With a desire to live closer to Anna’s family in Grand Rapids, Bas was able to immigrate to the United States in the early sixties. They moved to Grand Rapids and purchased a farm in Cannon Township in 1965. There, the Blok family grew to include three additional children. Also, Bas proudly became a United States Citizen during those years.

Bas had his work cut out for him as the farm was in bad shape. With the help of family and friends, he and Anna made their home livable and eventually the farm became productive as well. Bas worked as a construction worker during the day and then came home to work the farm along with his wife and children, sometimes late into the night. After retiring from the construction trade in 1982, Bas was able to farm full time. His hard work didn’t go unnoticed as in 1994 he was named Fruit Grower of the Year. Additionally, Bas, a member of the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association, became an expert in “Dwarf” fruit trees, often grafting them himself. He regularly had groups visit his farm to see his developments and techniques as he was continually becoming more educated in fruit farming. His son Alvin has a food process engineering degree from MSU and he and his father merged their ideas to create the now well loved Block Orchard of today. Additionally, Bas was a longtime member of the farm bureau and had close associations with many of the other fruit farmers in the area. Bas was also an active member of the Kent County Farm Bureau. He continued to farm well into his sunset years and was even harvesting apples just a few days before his death.

Throughout his life Bas was always busy. He and Anna attended the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church in Grand Rapids for years. Together they also traveled regularly including trips with the fruit growers associations as well as trips back to the Netherlands several times and a trip to Australia. Most times their vacations were part of a learning experience for Bas such as when trips to the Netherlands found him learning new techniques to grow and graft trees as well as heading over to Italy to see farms there.

A blessing to all who were near, Bastian “Bas” W. Blok was such a special man to know and love. He was never one to worry about gaining wealth or receiving accolades from others, rather, his focus was on working hard in order to provide a good life for the family he cherished. Bas was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who modeled what it means to live a life of faith while carrying himself with honor, integrity, and character. He will never be forgotten.

BLOK – Mr. Bastian (Bas) W. Blok, aged 86 of Ada passed away Saturday October 18, 2014. He was preceded in death by his daughter Shirley Gridley. Surviving are his wife, of 54 years, Anna Blok, his children: Tina and Jim Holderman, Gary and Pam Blok, Dr. Barb Blok and Dr. AJ Montes, Alvin Blok; his grandchildren Rochel Gridley, Holle Gridley, Mallory Gridley, Cristen and Aaron McQuillan, Kelsey Holderman, Jason Blok, Abbie Blok, Sam Montes; two great grandchildren, his sister Marie Nooteboom of the Netherlands, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Hugo and Thelma Staal, Al and Mary Staal, Mart and Connie Staal, Dena and Milo DeWald, Cornie and Pauline Spaans, Ginny Staal, and nieces and nephews. Mr. Blok was a fruit grower operating Blok Orchard since 1965. A funeral service will be held Thursday at 1:30 P.M. at the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church, 540 Crescent St. N.E with Rev. Maarten Kuivenhoven officiating. Interment will be in Findlay Cemetery, Ada. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with his family Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 PM at the Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, Van Strien – Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield N.E. For those who wish, memorial contributions to the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary would be appreciated. To read more of Bastian’s life, sign the online register book or share a memory please visit www.lifestorynet.com