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Grandpa K's Full Memoir Combined (not in parts)
🌲 Early Life & The Family Farm
Origins of Twin Oakes: The author's grandfather and father settled on 80 acres of mostly forested land in the late 19th century. The farm, later named "Twin Oakes" after two specific oak trees left standing near the road, was located in a rural area (likely Wisconsin, based on later notes of returning home to Randolph, WI).
Home Life: The family lived a rugged, self-sufficient lifestyle. They initially used kerosene lanterns and woodstoves for heat and cooking. Around the time the author was ten years old, his father rigged up a "homemade" electricity system using a battery and a gasoline-driven generator.
Farm Work & Recreation: Daily life involved milking around 70 cows and growing crops like cabbage. Because they started work early, they finished early enough to enjoy hunting and fishing. The author fondly recalls rabbit hunting, though one winter day ended in deep sadness when his beloved dog disappeared in a snowy field.
🎓 Education & Formative Hurdles
Grammar School: The author attended a Christian school, walking over a mile even in the dead of winter. He became the very first student to graduate from the 8th grade at his local Christian school in 1918.
Calvin Preparatory & The Flu Epidemic: Urged by his pastor, the Rev. William Bajema, his parents allowed him to leave home at age 15 to attend Calvin in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During his first year (1918), he witnessed the horrors of the Spanish Flu epidemic when his close walk-to-school companion suddenly died. He also vividly recalls rushing out of school to celebrate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918.
A Change of Scenery: During his second year at Calvin, a severe bout of illness caused a misunderstanding between his father and the school's president. Believing the president had lied about visiting his sick son, his father pulled him out of Calvin and sent him to Grundy College in Iowa, where he stayed for six years. The author eventually returned to Calvin College, graduating in 1928.
⛪ Early Preaching & Seminary Adventures
The First Sermon (Windsor/Chatham, 1928): During his second year at Calvin Seminary, the author volunteered for an unwanted assignment to deliver two Dutch sermons in Windsor, Ontario. The trip included a comical mishap where a careless passenger threw a cigarette out of a bus window, burning holes through the author's brand-new preacher's hat. Upon arrival, a scheduling mix-up sent him to Chatham, Ontario, where he nervously preached in a hall. He was initially shocked to see a man in a tuxedo and tall hat, only to learn it was a local deacon wearing his only suit—his wedding attire.
A Grueling Summer in Blackwell (1929): The following summer, he was assigned to serve a group of Dutch immigrants in Blackwell, Ontario. He stayed with a poor family in a tiny four-room shack, navigated a massive fly infestation, taught the homeowner farm work, and walked up to 10 miles for basic necessities. Despite losing weight until he was "skin and bones," he successfully learned to preach in Dutch and survived a scary encounter where a bootlegger accused him of signaling the police.
💨 The Midwestern Drought (1933)
While pastoring in the Midwest, the author witnessed the devastating Dust Bowl. He vividly describes "The Darkness of November" (November 11, 1933), when a severe dust storm turned noon into pitch blackness. Despite zero visibility, he brought a kerosene lamp to church and conducted a service for the few dedicated parishioners who couldn't afford to travel back home.
🍊 Moving to Bellflower, California (1935)
The Call: In January 1935, while expecting a baby with his wife Kathryn, the author received a surprise telegram informing him he had been "called" by the First Christian Reformed Church of Bellflower, California. Despite receiving warning letters that the church was in "hopeless" condition due to previous pastoral difficulties, his boyhood pastor encouraged him to go.
The Journey: Their son Jimmie was born on March 29, and by April, they were on their way west. Unable to afford a $700 new Ford on his own, the Bellflower church loaned him the remaining $300 (which they later converted into a gift). After a cautious road trip with a newborn, they arrived in California in May 1935. A classmate from school, Dr. Jack Hoekzema, kept a promise and moved out to Bellflower to set up his medical practice right alongside them.
🪖 WWII Blackouts & Homefront Reality (1942)
Living in Southern California during World War II brought the war directly to their doorstep. The author recalls anti-aircraft searchlights, sirens, and thousands of rounds being fired at suspected enemy aircraft overhead, as well as a Japanese submarine firing at an oil well near Santa Barbara.
Worship in the Dark: During a packed Sunday communion service, an air-raid siren went off, and the church custodian cut the main power switch. In total darkness, the author calmly led the congregation in continuous prayer, gave his sermon from memory, and led the church in powerful acapella renditions of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Blessed Be the Tie That Binds." Ever practical, he made sure the offering was collected in the dark before dismissing the congregation.
🏔️ A Lifelong Passion for the Mountains
Growing up in a flat landscape where the highest point was a 100-foot hill, the author's first concept of mountains came from Bible stories. His dream of seeing real mountains came true during his 1935 drive to California, where he fell in love with Zion National Park and the Great White Throne.
Over the decades, he became an avid hiker and camper, exploring the High Sierras with his two boys, Sherwood and Jim. He successfully climbed major peaks well above 10,000 feet, including Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy), Mt. San Gorgonio (Greyback), and Alta Peak in Sequoia. Though he never quite made it to the top of the 15,000-foot Mt. Whitney due to deep snow and timing, his son Bruce later climbed it on his behalf.
He concludes his recollections with a deep appreciation for Yosemite (visiting it every single month one year) and the mountains of the American West, sharing John Muir's sentiment that they are the "grandest of all."
Early Childhood & Farm Life on "Twin Oakes"
Gareth grew up on a farm called "Twin Oakes." His early years were shaped by the quiet rhythms of nature, livestock, and hard farm work.
1908 (Age 5): A massive community "barn raising" party took place to replace an old, poor barn structure that was subsequently burned down to destroy a black and white rat infestation.
Leisure & Family: Favorite childhood pastimes included fishing and swimming in the local creek on the "50," Fox Lake, or Lake Emily. Gareth notes that while his father and brother Bill (13 months his junior) were excellent, natural farmers who could handle the horses easily, Gareth struggled with farming tasks like keeping the horses straight.
Language Barriers & Schooling: Before a local Christian school was established, Gareth attended Blankae School (about a mile north). Because his first and only language at the time was Fries, his teacher could not understand him. Near this school, he frequently visited the grave of a Civil War soldier in a small Welsh church cemetery.
Community Development & Modern Advancements
Gareth's father was a proactive community member and successful farmer who expanded his holdings to include a farm west of Twin Oakes (cleared with the help of relatives from Holland) and "Four Leaf Clover Farm," which Gareth named.
The Road & Church (circa 1909): When Gareth was around 6 years old, his father and several other men founded the East Friesland Christian Reformed Church and Christian School. To solve the lack of a direct route, his father petitioned the road commission to build "KOK ROAD." One stubborn local farmer only agreed to let his fences be cut for the road after being gifted some cigars.
Technology & Communication: The family got their first telephone when Gareth was about 7 or 8. Around this same time, the first train came through Friesland, providing a great attraction for the local children.
1914: His father bought the area's first car—a 1914 4-door Ford Touring Sedan—allowing for family trips to Portage and the Dells. The family also acquired a Fordson tractor, and Gareth's father took his very first airplane ride, famously arranging a phone call to his wife right as he flew over the family farm.
Family Tragedies & Leaving the Farm
Life on Twin Oakes also brought immense grief to the Kok family through the sudden losses of Gareth's younger siblings:
The Loss of Annie: While Gareth, his father, and his brother Bill were milking in the barn, their hired girl rushed out to deliver terrible news. Their baby sister, Annie, had suddenly died. She had fallen ill that morning, and after being administered medicine prescribed by the doctor, she passed away instantly. Believing the medicine was actually poison, his mother threw it into the stove.
The Loss of Andrew (Andy): One evening while feeding cows, Gareth and his brother Andy talked about death, with Andy expressing that he didn't want to die. Several months later, Andy fell severely ill. Because the doctor had to travel by horse and buggy from the north after dark, medical help arrived too late. Andy passed away about two weeks later while singing "Jesus loves me."
1918 (Age 15): Realizing his true passion lay in academics rather than farming, Gareth accepted his parents' and siblings' support to leave the farm at age 15 to attend Calvin (Calvin College/Seminary). He regularly returned to work on the farm during his summer breaks.
Ministry, Bachelorhood, & Romance (1930–1965)
The second half of the memoirs shifts to Gareth's early career in the ministry, focusing heavily on his bachelorhood and how he met his wife.
The "Handicap" of Bachelorhood: Entering the ministry as an unmarried man in the 1930s was highly discouraged by church consistories. During one vacancy preaching assignment, a church elder refused to even show Gareth the parsonage, stating flatly that they did not want a single minister.
Moving to Hills, Minnesota: Ironically, Gareth received his first official call from a church in Hills, Minnesota, whose previous minister had also been single. Gareth arrived driving an old Essex coupe with a rumble seat. As a young eligible bachelor, he jokingly recalls being invited to dinner by every family with a daughter over 16, resulting in many young women suddenly inventing "problems" to seek the minister's advice.
Meeting His Wife: The matchmaking attempts ended when a new family joined the church. Gareth spotted their daughter from the pulpit and was instantly smitten. It took him three months to find a proper excuse to approach her, finally doing so just two days before she was scheduled to leave for a teaching position in North Dakota.
Courtship & Marriage: During the Great Depression, the couple sustained a long-distance relationship entirely through letters, jokingly keeping the "U.S. postal department on its feet." They were married the following summer.
Family Legacy: Gareth credits God for bringing his wife into his life, calling her a true "help-meet." The couple was blessed with five children. His wife eventually passed away prior to these remarks, which Gareth delivered in Hanford, California, reflecting on the 35-year window span of 1930 to 1965.
