#Gerrit Buining

[wutbju]

Seriously. Josh Crockett's maternal grandfather is cool.

He's not a fundamentalist, it seems (despite his stint with Baptist Mid-Missions), so that's likely why he's off the BJU radar. Look how the St. Louis Ladue News described him in 2009:

He was born in a small harbor town in the Netherlands, served as an officer in the Dutch resistance movement, worked as a farmhand in Canada and finally arrived in the America of his childhood dreams to attend seminary school in Providence, R. I., where he met his Swiss wife, Margrit. He’s been mentor to the Ixan people in Guatemala, where he has traveled regularly. Still, retired Baptist minister Gerrit Buining continues to give where he lives, embracing a swirl of activities and friends of all ethnicities. He has been happily ensconced in the rhythms and riches of St. Louis since his six daughters encouraged him into active retirement following his ministry in Des Moines, Iowa. Self-described as an ‘encourager’ and champion against loneliness, Buining turns a bright eye to the future. “It’s our nature to help others,” he says. He is a fixture at the Crown Center, where he has donated months to organizing and cataloguing its burgeoning library. “There is a great need here,” he says, mentioning his own love of reading. “And I go to lots of meetings. At first, it was to meet people; now, it’s to help others. People appreciate volunteers. It makes good relationships.” Buining loves woodworking and keeps a scroll saw at daughter Joanna’s. He paints his animal creations…cows, zebras, dogs, lambs, in eye-popping detail and donates them to Shriners Hospital. He writes and publishes brochures on “the nature of things.” He has written a 400-page memoir intended for his family, though friends and colleagues have encouraged him to publish excerpts. Every morning at 6 a.m. Buining rises and begins the first of the day’s three 45-minute walks. If he needs something at the store, he hikes off to Schnucks to get it. “Always, even in my ministry, I emphasized fitness,” he says. He loves the outdoors and the many cultural aspects of St. Louis, a town that has offered him all kinds of wonderful people. His six daughters, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren keep him busy, and he speaks with his ‘girls’ every night, he reports. “I still feel I’m in my golden years.”

A 400-page memoir!!? Wow!

[wutbju]

Josh Crockett's maternal grandfather is Gerrit Buining who was part of the Dutch Resistance!

That's an amazing legacy!!! Both FindAGrave and the funeral home who handled his burial document it:

Rev. Gerrit Buining, 95, formerly of West Des Moines, went peacefully to be with his Savior at home in St. Louis, Missouri December 14th. Born July 1, 1923 in Harlingen, The Netherlands. Gerrit in his younger years joined the Dutch Resistance Movement during World War II. Following the war he immigrated to Canada and later came to the U.S. for studies at Barrington Bible College in Rhode Island where he met his beloved wife of 45 years. Gerrit retired from Baptist Mid-Missions after forty years of service both in his home country and in several states upon becoming a U.S. citizen. Gerrit enjoyed writing, wood working, and encouraging his family and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anna Margrit Ernst Buining, and son-in-law Leigh A. Crockett. Gerrit is survived by his six daughters and their husbands, Elizabeth Crockett, Johanna and Lovell Caraway, Priscilla and David Johnson, Rhoda and Hugo Morales, Deborah and Richard Carey, Rebekah and Brent Taylor, 12 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. A private family service was held at Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens.

Why aren't you featuring this, BJU? You know about the Dutch Resistance, yes?

This is astoundingly wonderful!