Jack Albert Hoekstra

Jack Albert Hoekstra died on March 20, 2024 after a short illness, leaving behind a legacy of public service, love for his family and a devotion to his faith. The only child of Ralph Hoekstra and his second wife Henrietta Koenes Hoekstra and the baby of the family, Jack joined half-siblings: brothers Ralph, Lester and Herman and sisters Audrey, Gertrude, Rose and Evelyn.

Jack grew up in Lansing, Illinois and spent summers water skiing on Cedar Lake in Indiana. He attended Illiana Christian School and graduated from T.F. South High School in 1965. That same year Jack met a carhop named Anne Junker at the A&W drive-in when she served him in his 1958 Dodge Royal Lancer. As fate would have it, he and his family had just recently moved in across the street from her. The couple was married on April 1, 1967 (yes, April Fools’ Day, a fact that amused their kids to no end). Jack and Anne were blessed with two children Jaclyn Anne (Atlanta, Georgia) and Jeffrey Allen (Cedar Lake, Indiana) and raised them in their hometown of Lansing.

Jack’s life was defined by his commitment to public service. In 1973 he became a police officer in Lansing, Illinois. Jack began a number of new programs while at the police department including the Police Cadet program and the annual Lansing Air Show. He held a number of roles in the department including Youth Officer (thankfully not when Jackie and Jeff were in high school) and Detective, and was known as “Officer Friendly” when he visited the elementary schools. Between shifts at the police station, Jack attended countless baseball, softball and volleyball games, BMX races, and school plays.

In 1996, Lieutenant Jack Hoekstra retired from the Lansing Police Department after 23 years of dedicated service. However, he remained active in town. He was elected a Village Trustee and served for six years. Jack and Anne were married for 35 years prior to her death in 2002. Jack was a loving and tireless caretaker through Anne’s two bouts with breast cancer.

In 2004 he married Penny Cox, gaining a step-son, step daughter-in-law and two additional grandchildren in the process. He and Penny lived in Lansing for a few years before moving to the small town of Troy, Ohio where Penny had lived previously. In Troy he became active in the Kiwanis Club, the Public Defender Commission, The Miami County Board of Zoning Appeals, Miami County Republican Men’s Club and he was the Vice-President of the Fraternal Order of Police. Jack planted a large garden and gave his grandchildren wild rides around the backyard on his riding lawn mower. Jackie and Jeff have chosen to forgive Penny for turning him into a Cubs fan.

Jack was a man of contrasts. He had an extensive antique gun collection, but was also a lover of dry British humor. He was active in his church and dabbled in art–drawing, painting and creating stained glass–throughout his life. He donated his time leading kids’ painting birthday parties as silent auction items for various non-profit organizations. Jack enjoyed target shooting, cooking and watching hunting and history shows. He could fix or build just about anything. He visited all fifty states and he and Penny traveled to six countries.

Jack faced his recent diagnosis of advanced liver cancer with resilience, a dark sense of humor and an unwavering faith in God. Jack was a beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle. Though they had their occasional differences, his children never once doubted his unconditional love.

Preceded in death by his parents Ralph and Henrietta Hoekstra, his wife Anne Junker Hoekstra, his brothers Lester Hoekstra and Herman Hoekstra, his nephews Michael Junker and Paul Hoekstra, niece Alice Beth Barnes and his grandson Gabriel Hoekstra. He leaves behind his devoted wife of 20 years Penny Hoekstra, his children Jaclyn (Paul) Schoknecht and Jeff (Mary Jane) Hoekstra, his grandchildren Eliza Schoknecht, Willa Schoknecht, Sarah (Corbin) Long and Josie Hoekstra, and his great-granddaughter Genevieve Long, his siblings Rose Kuipers, Gertrude VanderMeyden, Ralph Hoekstra, Evelyn Lagestee and Audrey Witvoet and too many nieces, nephews and cousins to count. His legacy will live on in the scores of people who loved him.

Jack has requested that there be no public memorial service. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his memory to Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County (3230 N. Co. Rd. 25A Troy, OH 45373) or to the C.O.P.S. for Communities Program (“Shop with a Cop”) that helps families in need during the holiday season, a cause dear to his heart (P.O. Box 1051 Troy, OH 45373). If you’d like to share your memories of Jack for his grandchildren, please email them to Jaclyn Schoknecht at jaclyn.sf@gmail.com.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.bairdfuneralhome.com.