Robert James Hekhuis, age 90 of Hersey, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 30, 2025, in Reed City.

He was born on January 29, 1935, - the youngest and last remaining of James and Susie Hekhuis’s five children. 

Robert (Bob) was a man of common sense and uncommon decency. 

Raised on a small family farm – Maple Hill Farm – outside Fremont, Michigan, he grew up in a small house without plumbing and attended a one-room schoolhouse through the 8th grade.  Hard work was a fact of life on Maple Hill as there were chickens to raise, hogs to feed, cows to milk, and fruits and vegetables to can. While the work was hard, his days were not without joy. His mother’s pies were matters of county-wide fame and he and his closest siblings in age - Jerry and Connie - fished and skated on nearby Dutch Lake and performed many practical jokes on family. Their escapades became family legend and were a source of laughter at gatherings for the rest of their lives. 

It was his mother Susie’s deep faith that anchored the family. Her quiet, faithful example led all five Hekhuis children to serve others and God. 

After serving in the U.S. Army, Robert began college at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, but transferred to Wayne State University after a factory accident crushed his leg and left him unable to walk for two years.  It was in Detroit that he graduated college, began law school and met the love of his life, Sandra (Foster) Hekhuis. He began dating Sandra while in law school (he wanted to be a labor-side labor attorney), but their shared vision of service led him to leave law school and enroll in Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI, where he became a minister in the Reformed Church in America. It was a decision that neither of them regretted. 

Bob loved to quote Abraham Lincoln’s line that “God must have loved common people. He made so many of them.” A minister whose best sermons were delivered with love and care but without words, he met people where they were without judgment and with empathy and grace. 

As one who had known hunger, he was quick with a meal or groceries for the families that showed up at his door.

As one who was wheelchair bound for two years, he understood the pain and isolation that came from illness and regularly visited the sick and shut-ins.  

As one who had experienced the dark night of the soul, he recognized crises of faith and hope knowing that the hardest struggles are often internal. 

And as one who experienced the love of family and of his Lord Jesus Christ, he shared that love with everyone he met.

Robert loved being outdoors. He claimed that he wrote his best sermons while he engaged in his favorite pastimes: ice fishing and gardening. 

Robert and Sandra retired to a cabin on the Muskegon River which he had built over many decades. Outside of his family and ministry, building the cabin was the project of his life, keeping him occupied with endless projects, some of which were never completed, but which he undertook with creativity, zeal, and the eye of an architect.  This four decade undertaking was aided by his brothers; his brother-in-law, Roy; and numerous friends including Ron Berens, Rink Duiker Sr., and Tom Hommerding – the latter of whom he considered a member of his extended family.

Robert is preceded in death by his parents (James and Susie) and by his siblings and their spouses, the latter of which he loved as if they were his own siblings: Ben and Agnes  (Nieboer) Hekhuis; Nellie and Adam Hunter; Gerald and Thelma (Jordan) Hekhuis; and Connie and Roy Crater.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Sandra Hekhuis; his sons, Jeremy and Darren; their wives, Christine and Karla; and his grandchildren, Hannah, Isaiah, August, Adelaide, and Caleb. 

In lieu of flowers, Dad would rather you plant a garden, talk to a stranger, or enjoy ice cream with someone you love. 

Donations may be made to the Comfort Home MI (https://thecomforthomemi.org) which provided love and care to Bob (and his family) in his last days or World Vision (https://www.worldvision.org/our-work). 

A memorial service will be held at a later date.  Details will be provided.