Janna "Jane" Stuut

Jane Stuut was a woman with a sweet tooth and a golden heart, a heart she shared with all those around her. She devoted her life to the two most important things, her family and her faith, as a loving wife, mother, aunt and friend, and a fine Christian lady. More than anything, Jane was a woman as sweet as the treats she always cherished, just as her memory remains today.

Jane’s story began on a cool winter day in 1924, after the Valentine’s candy was finished in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Those were good days in this country, times of peace and prosperity, during the heyday of the Roaring 20s and the Prohibition era. On February 21, 1924, Dirk and Agnes (Barents) Langerveld celebrated the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Janna Martina.

Janna, or Jane, as she was always called, was the middle of eight children in the large family’s home. When she was a little girl, the family home burned down, so they packed up what little they had left and moved to a bulb farm in the Kalamazoo area, where her mom and dad raised tulips, gladiolas, and dahlias.

Jane’s family was hit by further tragedy when she was growing up, however. When she was entering her teenage years, she had a sibling sadly die, a loss that her mother took especially hard. Heartbroken by the death of her child, Jane’s mother’s own health began to decline. When Jane was 16, her mother underwent a medical procedure, and ended up dying as a result. It was a difficult loss for the family, yet they somehow persevered, relying on each other and their deep faith in the Lord.

Jane soon grew into a beautiful young woman, and after attendting Kalamazoo Central High School, she went to work with her sister Caroline at the Dutch Maid Dairy. The sisters soon left that job and went to work at Kalamazoo Stationery together. Little did Jane know that job would change her life.

Jane worked with a woman named Jeanette Stuut, and the two became good friends. One day Jeanette was showing Jane pictures of her family, when Jane commented, “Your brother Harold is cute!” So Jeanette set the two of them up on a date.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Jane and Harold hit it off, began dating steady, and soon fell in love. The happy young couple was married on May 7, 1948, the start of a beautiful life together. Harold worked at Hammond Machinery in Kalamazoo to provide for his new bride, who kept her job working at Kalamazoo Stationery with her new sister-in-law.

After they had been married for a few years, Jane and Harold were blessed with a beautiful gift, a beautiful baby girl, Martha “Marty,” born in 1957. When Marty was born, Jane happily became a devoted homemaker.

Jane and Harold were such proud parents, and they enjoyed doing things together as a family. When Marty was young, they especially enjoyed their short trips to Mackinac Island, a place Jane always loved. She enjoyed eating fudge and riding bikes — and in that order! The fudge, alas, never even made it back to the hotel room! Mackinac Island fudge was about the only thing on the planet Jane would wait in line for, as she loved sweets but never liked crowds. In fact, her favorite foods were shrimp and fudge, not in that order and not usually together.

As much as Jane loved her fudge, she loved her family and her faith even more. She was an incredibly devout woman, and a charter member of the Doster Community Reformed Church. She learned to play the piano as a young girl, and enjoyed playing for her women’s group from church. She was raised in a strict Dutch Reformed home, and was a true “prayer warrior” who enjoyed keeping others in her thoughts and prayers.

Jane prayed often, and also enjoyed reading her beloved family Bible, the leather-bound book she read and re-read so many times over the years. Her favorite passage was all of Psalms I, which was the credo she lived her life by, delighting in the law of the Lord.

Jane delighted in so many things, though. She was a vibrant, energetic and loving lady, and stayed very active over the years. Her favorite place on earth was her home, surrounded by the 80 beautiful acres of land she loved. Jane enjoyed taking her three-mile walks around her property every day, no matter the weather.

Jane’s beloved husband Harold sadly died in 1992, which was a difficult loss for her, yet she persevered just as she always had, through her family, her friends, and her faith. She stayed active, and kept up her daily walks, too. Eventually, though, Jane’s health began to decline, and she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2003. She stayed on her own for a few years, before finally moving to the Life Care Nursing Center in Plainwell, where she sadly died on Sunday, April 27, 2008, at the age of 84.

Jane was a wonderful woman, who lived a wonderful life, a life filled with so much family and faith. Jane was a loving wife, mother, and friend, and a faithful servant of the Lord. Most of all, she was a woman with a sweet tooth and a golden heart, a heart she shared with all those around her. She will be greatly missed.

Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Harold, in 1992, her brother Richard in 2005, two brothers Cornelius “Neil” and Albert in January, 2006, and a brother, Karel Langerveld and sister, Martha Langerveld. She is survived by her daughter, Martha, of Plainwell, and her brother, Carl (Janet) Langerveld, of Kalamazoo and sister, Caroline Dupon of Florida, nieces and nephews. Learn more about Jane, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, Plainwell Chapel 120 S. Woodhams. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Doster Community Reformed Church, 12145 Doster Road, Plainwell, Pastor Steve Slater officiating.

Please visit Jane’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a favorite memory or photo, sign her memory book online or make a memorial donation to the Doster Community Reformed Church or In-House Hospice.