Henry Dykstra

Henry Dykstra Jr., 93, of Greenville, South Carolina, formerly of Northwest Indiana, went home to be with his Lord and Savior in the early evening on Friday, January 9, 2026.

Henry was born in Blue Island, Illinois to Hendrik "Henry" Dykstra and Bessie Jansen Dykstra on August 4, 1932, his father's thirtieth birthday. He was the middle child of seven children, and was given no middle name but was made the Junior due to the shared birthday with his dad.

Henry's father, Hendrik, emigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in 1922 and settled on farmland in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago. He married Bessie, the daughter of a neighboring farmer, in March of 1926. Bessie taught her husband to speak English using the Bible and the Heidelberg Catechism.

Times were difficult for the Dykstras during the Great Depression, as they were for almost everyone. Henry stated in an essay written about his childhood that "Mom's only relief in raising the family of seven was an early afternoon rest period during which she enjoyed listening to the programs aired by the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, on a battery operated radio."

The farmhouse into which Henry and Bessie moved in 1931 and in which all seven of their children were born and/or raised, was devoid of conveniences such as indoor plumbing and electricity, until 1948 when a teenaged Henry and his older brother James brought them somewhat up to date by installing electrical wiring and a telephone.

Henry became interested in sports -- particularly baseball and track -- in elementary school. These activities expanded as he entered high school, where he participated in basketball, wrestling, and boxing, in addition to advanced baseball. He added golf to his sports interests while working during the summers of 1947-48 at the Pipe O' Peace Golf Course across the Little Calumet River from the farm where he lived with his family.

At around the age of thirteen, Henry listened intently while the pastor of the Fourth Roseland Christian Reformed Church, accompanied by an elder, conducted his annual visit with the Dykstra family in their home. The discussion turned to the holiness of God, particularly the admonition contained in I Peter 1:16 which states "... be ye holy, for I am holy."

Henry wrote that hearing the subject being dealt with thus "struck him in his heart (being)" and began a progression culminating in, at the age of seventeen, his giving testimony in the church of his salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In due time Henry graduated from Pullman Free School of Manual Training, receiving the G.M. Pullman Award for having the highest GPA in his class. Challenged and encouraged by friends and family members alike to attend college, eventually he was enrolled at Chicago Technical College to study electrical engineering.

Henry enjoyed a 36-year career as an electrical engineer, retiring from Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) in 1987.

Henry was a saved man who loved the Lord and was faithful to church for as long as he could go. He was a longtime member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville.

In addition to his first wife, Nancy, of 27 years, and his second wife, Ann, of 37 years, Henry was preceded in death by his parents, Hendrik "Henry" Dykstra and Bessie Jansen Dykstra, and five siblings: Hubert Allen "Hub" Dykstra, Eleanor Dykstra Broden, Peter James "Jim" Dykstra, Viola Verna "Vi" Dykstra Meyer, and John Richard Dykstra.

He was also predeceased by a great grandson, Noah Gabriel Bernhardt.

Henry is survived by one brother: Edward George (Joan) Dykstra of Arvada, CO, and many nieces and nephews, all of whom were dear to him. Numerous beloved friends survive him as well, and they will miss him.

Henry is also survived by his five children: Rae Ellen Dykstra Leir of Lenexa, KS; Jane Elizabeth Dykstra Flannigan of Lenexa, KS; Beth Ann Dykstra of Midland, MI; Laura Jean Dykstra (Stjepan) Dragash of Anderson, IN; and John Eric (Valerie) Dykstra of Elkhart, IN.

He was a beloved grandpa to nine grandchildren, all of whom survive him: Elizabeth Marvin (Joshua) Blevins of Grand Junction, CO; Kimberly Marvin (Brock) Guildner of Mead, CO; Kyle Leir of Lenexa, KS; Katherine Leir of Lenexa, KS; Nancy Rae (Shawn) LaPere of Midland, MI; Susannah Dragash (Bryan) Ball of Bloomington, IN; Jamie Dykstra (Keaton) Leszek of North Judson, IN; David Flannigan of Woodland Park, CO; and Joshua Dykstra of Elkhart, IN, and six great-grandchildren: Elizabeth Rose Leir of Janesville, WI; Laura Alice Leir of Lenexa, KS; Peyton Elsie Guildner and Madison Isla Guildner, both of of Mead, CO; and Bella Grace Leszek and Lincoln Joseph Leszek, both of Knox, IN.

He was a much-loved father figure for nearly forty-three years to Ann's four children, Kay (Pierre-Philippe) Garreau of Greenville, SC, Jennifer (Greg) Weber of Columbia, SC, Patricia Deann "Dee" (Mike) Dreyer of Argyle, TX, and Shawn (Rebecca) Plant of Galveston, TX, and was a beloved grandpa to her fifteen grandchildren: Elisabeth (Christopher) Folkerts of Twin Falls, ID; Genevieve (Damon) Frahler of Greenville, SC; Rebecca (Rex) Cabaltica of Lexington, SC; Michael (Marie) Garreau of Greenville, SC; Susanna Garreau of Greenville, SC; Marc (Whitney) Garreau of Fort Vermillion, Alberta, Canada; Joanna (Jacob) Bernhardt of Cleveland, OH; Stephanie (Joel) Bixler of Hudson, NC; Audrey (Mike) Erni of West Columbia, SC; Erica (Chad) Porter of West Columbia, SC; Andrew (Brittany) Weber of Maryville, TN; Aaron (Maggie May) Plant of Galveston, TX; Kelsey (Preston) Gann of Galveston, TX; and Hannah Plant and Gabriel Plant, both of Galveston, TX. Henry was also a beloved great-grandpa to Ann's thirty-five precious great-grandchildren, nine of whom were born after her homegoing and one of whom is expected in 2026.

Henry was a man whose life was marked by hard work and enjoyment in travel and friendships and church activities, and of course, time spent with his family. Back in the day when such things were done, his slide presentations were legendary. For many years he collected date nails, and everyone remembers him working for hours on one project or another while seated at his massive antique roll-top desk.

Henry adored children. His face lit up when a baby entered the room and he was able to hold and cuddle it. He sang and cut up and cajoled and comforted the child, inventing games and distracting with antics, giving its frazzled mother a few minutes to herself.

Henry Dykstra exemplified the virtues of hard work, industriousness, and neatness. He was meticulous to a fault; some would say (more than once) that he was almost too organized, if there is such a thing. His sense of humor was gentle and there was often a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. He loved to remove his socks and show off to anyone who would look, what he considered to be the most beautiful feet in his family.

Grandson Andrew cherishes memories of Grandpa Henry showing his collection of date nails and running his toy trains.

Granddaughter Erica remembers Grandpa "holding me in his lap and doing a repertoire of different sounds with his lips, to make me laugh."

Granddaughter Susanna reminisced: "Playing Scrabble with Grandpa and [her brother] Marc was a daily ritual whenever we visited Greenville. The three of us would set up at the kitchen table and labor over our tiles, with the help of Grandpa's ever-present Scrabble dictionary, for the next hour or two. Of course, you had to play by his rules! He loved the game and would play all three hands when Marc and I were not in town, meticulously writing down our individual points and occasionally informing us when one of us had won the day's game with an unusually high score."

All of the children remember the way Grandpa poured his Rice Krispies in the evening and arranged slices of banana on top as though the world's survival depended on the placement of those banana slices. But only half a banana! Ann said that if she went shopping and brought home a banana two inches long, Henry would still cut it in half. Even the pouring of the milk over the cereal was a ritual and as such, never varied.

The preparation of oatmeal for breakfast was another extremely serious endeavor. Grandson Marc was considered his oatmeal buddy whenever he was around. Henry was adamant that blueberries be placed atop the hot cereal, but only seven. Exactly seven.

He was heard to say more than once that he'd arisen in the night, in need of a snack. "I ate four grapes," he said. No more than four.

His habits may have seemed eccentric to some but for Henry, they represented a structure for his life. They were his brand of faithfulness to what he recognized as the truth and as the man he wanted to be. He was an imperfect person; he will be remembered as a flawed man who nevertheless was loved and who loved in return.

And now for eternity he is with the Lord, Whom he loved and served.

A memorial service will be held at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 115 Cedar Lane Road, Greenville, South Carolina, at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Visitation will begin at 11:30 a.m.

A graveside gathering will immediately follow the service, at Coleman Memorial Cemetery in Travelers Rest.