Dr. Joseph DeCook

Dr. Joseph Lee DeCook, age 90, of Grandville, passed from this life into the arms of his loving Savior on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Joyce DeCook; great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Leopold; and brother-in-law, Dan Fox.

He will be lovingly remembered by his children, Dan and Cecilia DeCook, David and Nannette DeCook, Steve and Cindy DeCook, Amy and Tim Royer; grandchildren, Abby and Aaron Parks, Nate DeCook, Elena DeCook, Angie and John Leopold, Felicia and David Dyksterhouse, Jared and Natalie DeCook, Zach and Amanda DeCook, Sam DeCook, Ben DeCook, Eli DeCook, Lydia DeCook, Joe and Grace Royer, Kate and John Wierenga, Elise and Jake Karcher, Audrey and Gavin Peddie; 17 great-grandchildren; sister, Jean McMahon; sister-in-law, Mary Fox; and his nieces and nephews. 

All-star Yooper (1935-1952)

Joe DeCook was born November 14, 1935, in Newberry, Michigan. He lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track all through high school. He took great pleasure in teaching his own children (and their children) how to throw a perfect spiral, go 10 for 10 from the free throw line, and send a frisbee 50 yards. 

New Christian at University of Michigan (1952-1959)

Joe was born again as a Christian the summer between high school graduation and starting his freshman year at U of M. At college he immediately joined the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and came under the influence of experienced and inspiring Christian leaders. They knew just what to do with this bright, motivated, sincere and social young man. Before long he was leading Bible studies and joining in the IVCF leadership camps held every August at Cedar Campus. The die was cast for serving the Lord the rest of his life! His mentors emphasized praying and seeking a godly Christian mate. God led him to a mission-minded nursing student, Joyce Fox, of Grand Rapids. She was also deeply involved in the weekly IVCF fellowship meetings and evangelistic Bible studies at U of M. They were engaged and married in 1959.

Marriage through residency (1959-1967)

The first baby landed alongside a medical school diploma (Dan, in 1961). The second baby touched down in Globe, AZ, as Joe worked in the Apache Indian Reservation Public Health Service Hospital (Dave, in 1963). The third baby came during an exhausting OBGYN residency in Grand Rapids (Steve, in 1965). And the final baby (Amy, in 1967) arrived with a house and new private practice, in Holland.

The Missionary Years (1967-1979)

From an ideal set-up for a successful career in America, God led Joe to Bangladesh (East Pakistan at the time), a country where the Gospel had had little chance to flourish, where the medical needs were great (including OB), and with a mission agency that allowed them to keep their children close (not far away in a boarding situation). To keep his sanity while learning Bengali, Joe took up the guitar, which remained his sidekick the rest of his life. Joe’s visionary side flourished in that pioneer setting where he helped build a Christian village and a top-notch Bengali Christian school in the middle of the jungle all while treating bizarre and difficult OBGYN cases. Joe held up well under stress, being somewhat the embodiment of Rudyard Kippling’s “If” poem (“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you….”). Joe was very practical and a bit of an iconoclast. In the hot climate, he became famous as “Dr. Half-pant” for wearing shorts to work. As a member of the missionary team, he was well-loved for defusing tense Field Council meetings with a humorous quip that left them all in stitches. Facing life and death situations all the time, he found it is better to not take yourself too seriously and to keep your sense of humor. In between Bible studies and saving lives, Joe would squeeze in some tennis with the kids and their friends (4 on 4!)

Resettling in America (1979-1994)

Joyce contracted a strange lingering tropical hepatitis which ended their service in Bangladesh. By God’s providence, Joe moved back into the same medical practice in Holland he had left. His medical ministry was marked by creativity and a broad-based concern for the complete well-being of his patients in their emotions and their families, and not just in their bodies. Known affectionately around home as a “gadget man,” he was the first obstetrician in the area to have his own ultrasound machine in his office in 1985. He became a fierce and persistent advocate for the pro-life cause. He served on the church board and with mom (always!) as Sunday School teachers of college-age, then a class of young-marrieds for 30 years, they formed a generational core of Christian families at Immanuel Church. Joe was a strong exhorter and taught their class to enjoy singing Scripture songs to guitar. These were the years of supporting the kids through high school and college, all of whom ended up with degrees and solid Christian spouses.

The Cottage Years (1994-2015)

Joe was an incorrigible do-it-yourselfer and his greatest project ever was the cottage on Hutchens Lake in Fennville, Michigan. In 1994, they sold the house in Holland and moved to the lake permanently. It became quite the resort for all the kids, the grandkids and a party place for the Sunday School class! Somehow, between work, church, the pro-life cause, and endless home improvement projects, Joe made time to enjoy his new hobbies of windsurfing and rollerblading with Joyce well into his 70s.

Joe continued to practice medicine into his 60’s, fading out from OB coverage first, then surgical procedures, then the office practice by age 72 (2007). He served as the Executive Director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG–an 8000 member prolife medical advocacy group) from 2000 to 2013. This was basically a full-time (although unpaid) position involving all his skills of leading, speaking, researching, writing, networking and recruiting to build the organization. It was his last great campaign.

The Grandville Years (2015-2026)

With his newly diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease, Joe realized he could not maintain the cottage. So he moved to Grandville, Michigan, to be close to the majority of the kids and grandkids. An autologous stem cell treatment seemed to significantly slow the progress of the Parkinson’s Disease. PD did end his guitar-playing but it could not stop his intense desire to sing to the Lord with other Christians. He engaged in whole-hearted singing and praying right up to his last days.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Immanuel Church, 325 104th Ave., Holland, with Pastor Alyn Goossen officiating. The burial will take place at Woodlawn Cemetery. Relatives and friends may visit with the family on Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the church prior to the service. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to Bangla Ministries Worldwide or AAPLOG.