Marius Van der Griend, who died last Saturday morning at the age of seventy-one years, was buried Tuesday afternoon in the Monumenta cemetery. The funeral services were held at the Christian Reformed church, Rev. P. J. Hoekenga, pastor of that church, and Rev. J. G. Brouwer, of the First Reformed church, officiating. The funeral was one of the largest ever held in the county, and was a testimonial of the high esteem in which the deceased was held. Six sons of Mr. Van der Griend acted as pall-bearers.
The deceased was born April 24, 1842, at Barendrect, Netherlands, the youngest child of a family of seven, five of whom, three brothers and two sisters, are still living. He was married on January 23, 1868, to Miss A. S. Vaandrager, and to them were born eleven children, eight sons and three daughters, all of whom, with the mother, survive. All are residents of Washington with the exception of one son and one daughter. In 1885 Mr. Van der Griend left his native land, and came to this country, locating at Armour, South Dakota, where he lived for three years, when he moved to Nebraska, and in 1901, he came to Washington, locating in Whatcom County, and has been a resident of the county and prominently identified with its interests, ever since.
Four of Mr. Van der Griend's sons are still single, the other sons and the three daughters being married. There are twenty-five grandchildren, and Mr. Van der Griend's was the first death in this large and happy family circle. In active life, the deceased was engaged in farming. With his death the community loses a man of remarkable character. He was a kind and considerate friend, a tender husband, and a worthy and exemplary father. Of genial disposition and a warm heart for all that was good and noble, he also possessed a keen mind and surpassed in intellectual grasp and mental ability many who had had great opportunities for learning. He was a loyal citizen of America and had a heart for his country, although a Hollander by birth and bringing up. Mr. Van der Griend was preeminently a Christian, and all the virtues that adorned his character were the fruit of that life that was born from above. His fidelity to God and His Word made him the faithful father in his home, the trusted counsellor, the worthy citizen, and the exemplary Christian that he was. He was one of those men who lived simply, and built upon the stable and abiding realities of life, such as our hurried generation might do well to pattern after. The sincere sympathy of the entire community is extended to the bereaved family.
