Lois Verdonk

Lois Evelyn (Bregger) Verdonk passed away on October 1, 2020 surrounded by loved ones. She had battled colon cancer. Lois was born on May 12, 1944 to Evelyn (Root) Bregger and Louis Blake Bregger. She grew up on her parent's farm in Bangor, Michigan, the youngest of 5 siblings. During her childhood on the farm she developed a love for nature and animals, including her beloved three- legged dog Cindy, and many parakeets and cats. She would often pack a lunch for herself and go birdwatching, and remained an avid birdwatcher all her life. While attending Bangor High School, she began dating her future husband, John W. Verdonk, after they had both been in the school play. Their dates included activities such as fishing, swimming and water-skiing. They both graduated from Bangor High School in 1962. They wrote letters and visited each other frequently while John attended the University of Notre Dame and Lois attended Michigan State University. After they both graduated from college in 1966, Lois with a B.A. with honors in elementary education, they married on August 13th of that year. After their marriage, they settled in the Detroit area, where Lois taught elementary school for three years while John attended law school. Their daughter Tara was born there in 1969. In 1970, they moved back to Bangor and bought a home where they have lived ever since. Their sons John and David were born in 1972 and 1973 respectively. Lois received her Master's degree in counseling in 1981 from Western Michigan University. She worked as an outreach counselor for many years providing counseling services to families in their homes. She also worked as a substitute teacher and volunteered for hospice and many church activities. In addition to birdwatching, Lois enjoyed gardening and turning her beloved yard into a "wildlife sanctuary" as she liked to call it, that attracted a wide variety of birds, butterflies and other animals. She also enjoyed fishing with her family on Lake Michigan and on smaller Michigan lakes, spoiling her pets which over the years included many dogs, cats, and birds, playing Scrabble, at which she excelled, playing handbells, and raising her children, which she always called her most important job. She created a loving home where her children's friends and her many nieces and nephews often congregated to swim and play. She also enjoyed many family trips that often included national parks, which she loved to visit. Her children have fond and vivid memories of her dancing with joy in the living room, especially to 70's tunes. In later years she was so excited to become a grandmother and enjoyed many visits with her grandchildren. Lois was preceded in death by her son David in 2018, and by brothers Allan Bregger in 2016 and Don Bregger in 2017. She is survived by her husband, John W. Verdonk, daughter Tara (William) Rougle of Alexandria, Virginia, son John L. (Jennifer) of Simpsonville, South Carolina, grandchildren Ashley and Joshua Verdonk, Eliana Rougle, step-granddaughter Wolfie (Michael Smith) Rougle, sisters Alice Steinbach and Doris Finn, and many beloved nieces and nephews. In a last act of giving, Lois donated her body to Western Michigan University School of Medicine. A small memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 10th at the Congregational Church in Bangor, MI at 1 pm. Due to the times, the service will be video-taped and the video posted online for those who cannot attend. Please contact the family for more information about either attending the service or accessing the video. Donations may be made to the Bangor Congregational Church or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.