Genevieve Van Voorthuysen, longtime South Whidbey resident, passed away on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011 in Seattle, where she had lived for the past 10 years. She was 93 years old.
The second of five children born to Daniel and Ethel Bailey, Genevieve (Gennie to those who knew her) was born in Dooley, Mont. in 1918.
She greatly enjoyed growing up in Havre, Mont., where her father served as a U.S. Customs Agent.
In her teens, Gennie moved with her family to El Paso, Texas, where her father was the U.S. Customs agent in charge of the entire southern U.S. border. She graduated from El Paso High School.
In the mid-1930s, the family moved again, this time to Langley and the home on Edgecliff Drive, which Gennie’s father had purchased for his parents. Gennie attended Bible school and held several jobs while living with her sister, LaBerta, in Seattle. During World War II, while Gennie’s two brothers were in the Army, they brought a buddy, Pfc. Fred Van Voorthuysen, home to Langley with them on a furlough. He and Gennie were married on March 3, 1942.
After Fred was honorably discharged from his military duties, he and Gennie moved to Langley, where they raised five children and remained for the rest of their married life.
During her 70-plus years in Langley and later in Freeland, Gennie absorbed much of the history of the area. Fred’s parents lived in Oak Harbor, and his knowledge of the north end of Whidbey Island combined with Mom’s awareness of the south end strengthened their sense that the island was their home- sweet-home and they came to consider themselves among the “old-timers” in Langley.
Through the years, Gennie focused her energy on all of the things that go with raising children.
She was a great homemaker; she canned the garden produce grown by Fred. With him, she hosted amazing dinners for her extended family at Thanksgiving, Christmas and other times of the year. She was fascinated by and loved God’s creation. She was interested in history and followed the news avidly.
Underpinning everything else, and undoubtedly the most defining aspect of her life, was Gennie’s Christian faith. She was saved as a youngster in Montana, and her faith grew, providing joy, comfort, strength and wisdom throughout her life. She conducted devotions with her children every morning before school, and instilled an awareness of God’s love, his provision and his presence in their lives.
One of her great joys came in the years when her chicks had almost all left the nest. She joined with several other women from the area in an Aglow prayer group which frequently met in her home.
In addition to long-time friends from her neighborhood and church, the many friendships she made in the Aglow group and the fellowship she shared with them were happy topics of conversation long after she moved from Langley to Seattle in 2001. During the years following that move, she always loved to hear the news about Langley and her friends there.
Gennie was preceded in death by her mother and father, all of her siblings, her husband and her granddaughter, Sarah Joy Van Voorthuysen.
Surviving her are her five children: Virginia Steiner (spouse, Hal); Lucinda Moyer (spouse, John); Daniel Van Voorthuysen (spouse, Joy); Vicki Schepman (spouse, Stuart); and Anne (Heidi) Tschider. Also surviving her are her six grandchildren: Jacob Moyer (spouse, Stephanie Bessire) and Clinton Moyer (spouse, Leann Pace); Lindsay Marquiss and Madelyn Van Dyke (spouse, Kail); and Schuyler and Gabriel Schepman; and her three great-grandchildren: Lauren Valentine (of Leona Valley, Calif.); Asher Moyer (of Seattle); and Clementine Pace (of Winston-Salem, N.C.).
Genevieve was able to remain at her Seattle home until her death, the result of complications of kidney failure. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Visser Funeral Home Chapel in Langley.
The family requests that gifts be made in Genevieve’s memory to Swedish Hospice Services in Seattle or a favorite Christian charity. Friends and family may leave condolences at www.visserfuneralhome.com.
