Elisabeth Adriana Palma

Elisabeth Adriana (Dieleman) Palma passed away peacefully on the afternoon of Friday the 13th of October after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Elisabeth (Betty) was born on June 26, 1941 in Terneuzen, Netherlands. Her father passed away when she was an infant and her mother remarried. Their family immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1948 where she attended Grand Rapids Public Schools and graduated from Central High in 1959. After marrying Robert D. Palma and having her two children, she embarked on her career as a school bus driver for Forest Hills Public Schools and ultimately retired in 2005. A few years after, she and Robert (Bob) attended Grand Valley College and became EMT's. Together they worked for Bud's Ambulance part time while maintaining their regular jobs. Later on she left school bus driving for a time to work with Bob team driving semi-truck. That led to a stint working for an Indy Race Team owner and many great life experiences. Some her fondest memories were made during their ambulance and racing years. Eventually she went back to driving school bus as her granddaughters came into the world. She had an infectious smile and never met a stranger. She loved to cook for others and those fortunate enough to have been gifted one of her crocheted baby blankets or purchased one at a craft sale, likely have it tucked away in a hope chest somewhere. Her love and devotion to her family is her greatest legacy and her children and grandchildren share her quirks and character. Her faith was her rock and she longed for the safety of the Lord's loving arms and a release from the struggles of her disease.

She is survived by her sister Jane Mellema, son, Daniel Palma (Steven), daughter Kristen (Dale) deVries, granddaughters Alexa (Dan) Hoerner, Lainey deVries, Elise deVries and great grandchildren Hayes and Romee Hoerner. She was preceded in death by her father, mother, inlaws and former husband.

A graveside memorial is planned for summer of 2024. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Spectrum Health Foundation Hope Fund at www.spectrumhealth.org/foundation