Lisa R. Whiteman

Lisa Whiteman, age 49, passed away on Sunday, August 27, 2023, peacefully surrounded by her family. Lisa had battled brain cancer with grace and grit since early March. Lisa chose to quietly stare down a devastating diagnosis by bringing God glory every step of the way, regularly posting about His goodness and mercy available to all who chose to receive. She exuded peace in every aspect of her circumstances. Lisa’s greatest aspiration in life was to be a mom, and she did that with great success raising Hannah (25), Sophia (22), Noah (20) and Eva (18) to be sound in their own faith. Lisa was a passionate educator. She began teaching in 1996 after graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Elementary Education. While at Indiana Wesleyan, Lisa was an accomplished athlete often competing at the national level, often coaching throughout the later years of her life. After giving birth to Hannah in 1998, Lisa stepped out of the classroom as a formal teacher. She spent the next few years focused on raising her kids, preparing them for life and education in Holland Public Schools. Lisa began deploying her gifts through the Parent Teacher Association, eventually becoming President of the Association. She later ran for Holland Public Schools Board of Education, where she eventually became Treasurer of the Board. After stepping down from the school board, Lisa chose to take a job in the school system as an instructional aide. The district had a high need in Autism classrooms so Lisa step right in. When the District needed to add another Autism classroom, Lisa decided to fill that gap and at the same time began perusing a Masters degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorder. She completed that degree at the end of January 2023, just 5 weeks before her diagnosis. It is clear to all that her drive was boundless, her love was fierce, and her faith was the rock on which all else stood. It would be an understatement to say that she has done more in half a lifetime to bring God glory than many could hope to do in a hundred. We will miss every aspect of her, and will continue to live out our days hoping that we strive as hard, love as boldly, and proclaim as loudly as she did, all for His glory, until we join her again in our eternal home. She attended Restoration Church in Zeeland and worked for Holland Public Schools as an ASD teacher at West K-5 remaining a steadfast mother and wife. She was preceded in death by her father, Glenn Weener. Lisa is survived by her husband of 27 years, Todd; children, Hannah, Sophia, Noah, Eva; Mother, Dona (Jerry) Schmidt; siblings, David (Fan Fan) Wainer, Anne (Phil) Hoover; parents-in-law, Thomas and Maxine Whiteman; brother-in-law, Tom Jr. (Lori) Whiteman; many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Memorial contributions in Lisa’s honor may be given to: The National Christian College Athletic Christian Service Projects NCCAA Christian Service Projects Gift in Memory of Lisa Whiteman 302 West Washington St. Greenville, SC 29601 Online at: thenccaa.org/give Gift in Memory of Lisa Whiteman To view the livestream of the service, please visit https://centralevents.online.church/ A memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 1, 2023 at Central Wesleyan Church, 446 W. 40th St. Holland (please use entrances A &I). Burial will be in Pilgrim Home Cemetery. Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Thursday, August 31, at Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home, 315 E. 16th St. Holland.

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Lisa R. Whiteman

July 1, 1974 - August 27, 2023