Arnold Snoeyink

Arnold Snoeyink went home to heaven on September 8, 2024, two weeks before his 91st birthday. Arnie was born on September 22, 1933, in Blendon Township, Michigan. He married the catch of his life, Shirley Geelhoed, on December 27, 1956. For the next 67 years, God gifted "Arn and Shirl" with a faithful marriage centered on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. They served Him joyfully together. 

When Arnie passed peacefully at home, he was surrounded by Shirley and their three sons and one daughter. Those four children and their families are: Jack and Elizabeth Snoeyink (Sarah and Alex VanFosson with Jacob and Eleanor, and William Snoeyink), Don and Karen Snoeyink (Austin and Alison Kane Snoeyink, and Caleb Snoeyink), Amy and Craig Vredevoogd (Kaitlyn Vredevoogd, Nathan and Dara Vredevoogd with Jonathan and Matthew, and Ryan Vredevoogd), Kent and Amy Snoeyink (Hannah, Leah, Lydia, and Josie Snoeyink). Arnie will also be missed by his beloved sister, Barb Oosterink. Arnie adored his family, and the feeling was mutual. 

“Mr. Snoeyink” had a God-given gift for teaching. He spent 38 years as a Christian school teacher in West Michigan. For the last 25 of those years, he was a stickler of an English and Bible teacher at Grand Rapids Christian High School, where he would allow students to skip the final exam if they would memorize and recite to him Romans chapter 8 in its entirety. Many took him up on that offer, and for the rest of his life Mr. Snoeyink heard from former students to whom Romans 8 continued to minister. Arnie also volunteered with Prison Fellowship. He led weekly Bible Studies at the state prisons in Ionia for nearly 37 years. 

Accuracy was important to Arnie. This contributed to his success and early promotion to sergeant in the Army in the early 1950s, but also to his adherence to proper grammar all his life. Always the English teacher, Arnie kept a pen handy and he would commonly correct grammatical or spelling errors he would find while reading newspapers, church bulletins, and even books checked out from the local library. It was natural for Arnie to follow the rules and view the world around him as black or white, right or wrong. So he could relate to legalists who follow the letter of the law. And that rule-following nature contributed to Arnie’s awe about what Jesus Christ did for him. By fulfilling the law, Jesus freed Arnie from a life of sin and of his exhausting and fruitless attempts to “follow the rules” of Christian living. Jesus, who was without sin, became sin for Arnie so that Arnie could be free from the law of sin and death. Arnie marveled at that truth until the Lord took him home. 

Always active church attendees, Arnie and Shirley were loyal members until the doors closed permanently at Bethel Christian Reformed Church and then at Roosevelt Park Community CRC. With his characteristic wit, Arnie jokingly warned their latest church family to proceed with caution; the Snoeyinks had closed down their last two churches! Arnie loved the congregation and ministry at Community Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming. When he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at age 87, his fervent prayer was that the Lord would allow him to continue teaching into his nineties the Sunday adult class at Community CRC. God graciously granted Arnie that request. During this last year of his life, Arnie gratefully explored with his beloved class members what the Bible teaches about heaven.

Most people who spent time with Arnie knew he was passionate about fishing. His tremendous bass fishing acumen was honed through eighty years of practice. But he was also passionate about memorizing scripture. On a weekly basis, he would recite 21 verses of the Bible, adding seven new verses and dropping seven old ones each week. In doing so, he memorized and recited his way through the entire New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs three or four times over several decades of disciplined study.

Arn and Shirl had the gift of hospitality. They would often invite guests to their home for a big Sunday lunch after church services. Long-time friends or first-time visitors, foreign exchange students or next-door neighbors, senior citizens or their beloved grandchildren, all were welcome at the dinner table, where they feasted on locally caught fish and bountiful fresh produce from the Snoeyinks’ massive garden.

Arnie will be dearly missed. But there is no question he is more alive today than ever, and there is great joy in his passing from death to new life. For Arnie was convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, would be able to separate him from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! And if he had not done so already, Arnie would encourage you to take a good look at—and even memorize—the rest of Romans chapter 8 so your life, too, can be transformed by those promises.

Due to space limitations at Community CRC, all are welcome to a celebration of life service to be held at Calvary Church at 707 East Beltline NE on Friday, September 20. The service will start at 11 AM and a luncheon with the family will follow.

The Snoeyink family wishes to thank Pastor Dave Struyk, as well as the staff at Lemmen-Holton Cancer Center and Faith Hospice. Special thanks to Bill and Kathy Heys, Doris Meyer and Tom and Laurie VanderKodde, neighbors who were like family.