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Albert Arends

October 31, 2021
Spring Hill, FL

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Arends, Albert 9/30/1948 - 10/31/2021 Spring Hill, Florida Albert Jacob "Bert" Arends died overnight peacefully in his sleep on October 31, 2021 from cancer complications, aged 73. Bert was larger than life and touched everyone - many of them with consent. A salesman's salesman, even when you knew you were being sold you felt the genuine human affection and connection. So many customers became friends, and friends become customers. A favorite brother and uncle to many, absolutely adored by his grandchildren and children, he spent his latter days in service of others and never ever shut up about his love for Winnie, his wife of 52 years. He missed approximately zero of his kids' soccer games all the way through college, and his grandkids constantly talk about being Opa's sunshine. Bert was a soccer coach for decades, also volunteering his time governing and administering the game and helping those involved in it. Never a great golfer, he loved the game and never missed a chance to play – though his scorekeeping was dubious. He loved to sit in his lazy boy and eat while he watched the worst NFL team known to man, ever believing "this is going to be the year". He naturally worked a room, and you could not go anywhere, even in other states, without bumping into someone he knew. He was a good Christian man but loved dirty jokes and irreverent humor, and despite his conservative nature always preached and lived acceptance and equality for everyone. Born in Enschede, Netherlands, he emigrated first to Canada then a few years later to the United States, serving this country as a Marine and loving it as a patriot. Bert was a man who gave more than he took and offered more to his children than he was given. He empathized more than he imposed, imposing though he was. It was never about him, it was always, always about you. That was genuine, and everyone loved him for it. He will be missed. Bert was preceded in death by his parents Albert and Jacoba Arends and his brothers Gerritt and Pete. He is survived by his wife Winnie, his three sons Michael (Leslie), TJ (Leah), and Matthew, brothers Alex and John and sister Anne, and his 5 grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at 3pm Friday, December 3rd at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Michigan.