Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....DeKwak, Rev. Abraham 1915
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Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net August 20, 2011, 5:00 pm

Unidentified Publication, Mar 1915

Once a Brewer, Then Minister; Dies Tuesday

Ionia, March 17 - Pneumonia caused the death Tuesday of Rev. Abraham De Kwak of
this city, one time brewer and widely known throughout central Michigan.

Thirty years ago Mr. De Kwak was a prosperous brewer.  At that time he became
converted and his first act on choosing a religious life was to open the barrels
of beer on hand and spill their contents into the Grand river.  Since then he
had been a preacher in the Methodist church.

Mr. De Kwak was a widower.  He was born in the Netherlands in 1827 and came to
Michigan sixty-seven years ago, locating in Kalamazoo.  Although he could
neither read nor write the English language he prospered.  
	
Seven years after his arrival in Kalamazoo he came to Ionia and entered the
brewery business.  During the last years of his life he was engaged in the
gardening business.

Mr. De Kwak for many years had been a familiar character in Grand Rapids and
Holland, giving short gospel addresses at the City Rescue mission and in various
churches.  None of his local relatives knew that he had been ill.  Among his
local connections are Mrs. D.D. Van Dyke, 47 Leonard street, N.W., and Abraham
Greenway, 1115 Broadway, N.W.

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Across the Great Divide

Abraham DeKwak Joins “His Partner” In the Realm of Eternal Joy.

“God’s finger touched him and he slept.”  Abraham DeKwak passed into the realm
of eternal glory at nine o’clock on Tuesday night.  He was ready, and he died as
he lived, at peace with the world, and with that same facial radiance beaming
that same expression of good will to men that had characterized the good old
soul always, and made him generally beloved.

Abraham DeKwak was born in Holland in 1829, and on January 13th last passed the
86th milestone of his more than ordinarily interesting career.  Like the many
Hollanders who came to the United States for a new home, Uncle Abraham came
direct to Michigan.  He located first in Kalamazoo, but did not remain there
long, moving thence to Grand Rapids.  He was a lather and plasterer in his early
life, but soon after locating in Grand Rapids he entered the brewery business,
afterward transferring this business to Ionia.  This was over half a century
ago.  The business was fairly remunerative in a money way, but there was a
deep-seated consciousness within him that he was not serving humanity in that
business, and when converted to the Christian faith under the preaching of Rev.
Job Pierson of the Presbyterian church, the beer on hand in the brewery was
emptied into the gutter and the business closed.

The brewery was located on the old homestead grounds, south of railroad tracks
near the diamond.  The heads of many barrels were knocked out with an ax and the
contents poured into the gutter.  Even the outstanding accounts for beer sold
were never collected.

This occurred in the year 1870, after which Mr. DeKwak established a fish
market, which was his vocation until entering upon market gardening.

His was a simple religious faith, but it was deep-seated.  “The Lord and I are
partners,” he was often wont to say.  “He sends the sun to warm and the rain to
moisten the good black soil He gave.  I plant the celery He makes it grow, and I
do the harvesting.

The dates of Mr. DeKwak’s arrival in this country and in Ionia are not matters
of positive record, but the best data places his arrival in this country as 60
years ago, and in Ionia in 1863, his daughter, Mrs. Danforth, being then one
year old.  The faithful helpmeet passed to her reward 22 years ago, and two
children survive: Mrs. Geo. C. Danforth and John DeKwak, both still residents of
Ionia.


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