Donald L. Whittecar

Donald Whittecar, age 64, of Hudsonville, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 16, 2021 surrounded by family at his home, after a courageous three-year battle with cancer. Don was born and raised in the Flint area; and after attending school, he and Carla moved to Denver. Following the birth of their children, they moved back to the Grand Rapids area. Don enjoyed the field of fabrication and worked to perfect his craft. He was employed by Marked Tool for nearly 20 years and then moved to Mech-Fab/AMS where he finished out his career. He was blessed to be part of the AMS family and was grateful for the friends he made there. He was always thankful for the friendship he found in Kris and Lisa and for their giving him a chance to prove himself and make something they could build on and that he was proud of. In November, you could find Don sitting in his stand where he always had the passion to get a bigger buck than the one before. Most of his time was spent working on cars or his house. He also loved doing flower beds, watching the birds, and, most of all, talking to elderly people; "because" he always said, "when I get their age, I hope someone gives me the time of day." The joke was this is a man who could draw a machine on a bar napkin and watch it come to life. He had a passion for living and that's what he did. He could do just about anything – take a car apart and put it back together and do the same with a house. He could make or fix anything he set his mind to. Don was preceded in death by his in-laws, Hubble Vander Velde and Fred and Jan Barringer. He is survived by his wife, Cindy; best pal, Boo; children, Scott (Jordan) Whittecar, Shannon Whittecar; grandsons, Caden and Anthony; mother of his children, Carla Sarver; parents, John (Dorothy) Whittecar; twin brother, Ron; sister, Fran; brother, Bruce; in-laws, Deb (Steve) Chappell, Margie (Tim) Van Dort, Teresa (Todd) Trap, Martin (Melissa) Vander Velde; several nieces and nephews; and special friends, Darrel Fuller, Bobby McNeal, and Joel Sayer. A memorial service is planned for 1:00pm Wednesday, October 20 at Second Reformed Church, 225 E Central Ave., Zeeland; Kris Chayer will officiate. Burial will be in the new Zeeland Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for 4:00-7:00pm on Tuesday, October 19 at Yntema Funeral Home, 251 S State St., Zeeland. Many thanks to Emmanuel Hospice; his favorite nurse, Julie; Lacks Cancer Center; Dr. Jared Knol; Start Midwest; and the many nurses who cared for him. Memorial contributions may be made to Emmanuel Hospice and condolences may be left online at www.yntemafh.com.