Amy DeKok

Amy Marie DeKok, age 69, of Jackson, Minnesota passed away peacefully in her own home on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 12, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. at the Gathering Church in Bingham Lake, Minnesota. Visitation will take place prior to the service starting at 11:00 a.m. at the Church.

In lieu of flowers memorials to the family are preferred.

Yvonne (Amy) Marie DeKok (Graves), 69, of Jackson passed away on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.

A time of memories and service to honor Jesus Christ and Amy will be on Saturday, December 12, 2020 at 1:00 PM at The Gathering Church, Bingham Lake, MN.  There will be visitation from 11:00 to 1:00 at The Gathering.

Burial will take place at a later date.

Yvonne Marie Graves, daughter of Carl Graves and Jacqueline Profitt was born on Friday, August 3, 1951 in Sheridan, Michigan. She graduated from Milford High School, Milford, Michigan in 1969.  As she grew up, she was brought to First Baptist Church, Wixom, Mi where during her Jr. Hi. Years, she realized her need for a Savior and prayed and believed in Jesus Christ as the only way to eternal life. 

Her college years included 1 year at Hurley School of Nursing in Flint, MI and then to Pillsbury College in Owatonna, MN where she met a dashing young farm boy.  She married Steve on July 7, 1972.

Yvonne was married at First Baptist Church in Wixom, Mi (her husband changed her first and last names) to her pastor for 48 years and served faithfully in Moline, Michigan, Clinton Township, Michigan, Jackson, Minnesota and Bingham Lake, Minnesota at the Gathering Church.

Amy loved to care for others in practical ways:  She found a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies in their first year of marriage and made them for the next 48.  She recently said she didn't even really like these cookies herself and rarely ate them but knew Steve and the kids loved them. He did not know this fact until recently but enjoyed them always as the fruit of Amy’s love all those years. A kind and selfless act in the form of cookies. Truly Amy. The best mom there was. (Sometimes she’d even put tiny containers of cookie dough in her kids’ lunches.)

She has the best children starting with Sally (Steve) Huston with three grand children, (Andrew, Ryan and Amelia), Daniel DeKok, Laura DeKok with one grandchild (River), and Megan DeKok.  Her children also stated many times that she did a great job of being a mother to them.

Amy served well in and out of the church.  Her early view of a pastor’s wife was she had to have her hair in a bun and play the piano.  She never put her hair in a bun and never knew how to play the piano.  She was the best pastor’s wife because she ministered to many people along with her husband.  She loved the AWANA program where she was a leader for more than 30 years.  She loved young mothers and was a leader in the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program.  In Jackson, she substituted as a PARA for the children in Riverside for several years.  She is greeted by children of all ages in Jackson because of the great impact she had. She was so crafty and crocheted owls, tiny pumpkins and potholders that still brings joy to everyone who has them.

Along with her husband, Steve of 48 years, she is survived by her children, grand children, three sisters Terri (Wade) Banks, Lori (Danny) Jodoin, Andrea Graves and two brothers, Nelson Graves and Herb (Oksun) Graves well as nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her mother, Jacqueline Profitt.

In March,7 Amy was diagnosed with Metastatic Cancer.  She went to be with Jesus Christ, her Savior at the age of 69 years, 4 months, 6 days.

We miss her greatly and all who knew her are mourning her absence here and looking forward to the great reunion with Jesus Christ in Heaven. 

Instead of flowers, we would like to have memorials so we can help with our grandchildren’s school tuition.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Amy DeKok, please visit our floral store.