The Hekman Family

Edsko Hekman, Sr.

The head of the Hekman family was Edsko Hekman, Sr. He was born in the Netherlands in 1858 and emigrated to the United States in July, 1893 with his wife and 5 children. Although he was a baker in the Netherlands, Edsko hoped to find work in the furniture business. In the U.S., Edsko couldn’t find any furniture jobs, so he started baking cookies and his children sold them door-to-door. Edsko’s baking business grew and the family opened 2 different bakeries in Michigan in the early 1900s.

The 3 oldest Hekman siblings, Geesje, Edsko, Jr., and Henry all became sick with tuberculosis. Geesje, the family’s only daughter, died in 1901 at age 18. Henry and Edsko, Jr. both moved to Denver and went to Bethesda Hospital for treatment. They also opened a branch of their family’s bakery in Denver, and this bakery eventually was purchased by the Keebler bakery.

Edsko, Jr. died in 1914, but Henry recovered and moved back to Michigan when Edsko, Sr. died in 1917. In 1922, the family opened a furniture company and a cracker business as well. These businesses all grew and the Hekman family was very active in supporting Bethesda Hospital and other organizations by volunteering their time and money to causes they believed in.

According to Dr. Richard H. Harms, Curator of Archives at Calvin College, The Bethesda Bulletins indicate that “a family” donated $5000 for the chapel and the hope was that the remaining funds would be forthcoming, but the Bulletins do no mention a specific name. Former Bethesda CEO Meindert Bosch states, "The Hekman family of Grand Rapids, Michigan, were strong supporters of Bethesda. For many decades, at least one member of the Hekman family was also on the Board of Trustees. My book 'Bridges Across the Years' has at least three different photos showing board members by that name. This cannot be confirmed through documentation on my part, but over the years, the Hekman family was believed to have had a major role in the building of the chapel. They were known for supporting projects like this for various Christian organizations."

From an undated letter written by Rev. Idzerd Van Dellen, one of the founders of Bethesda, titled “The Initial Period of The Bethesda Sanatorium Association”:

On Feb. 3, 1910 the Consistory met at the parsonage to discuss the necessity of erecting a Christian Sanatorium at Denver. Mr. E. Hekman Sr. from Grand Rapids, Mich, who at that time visited his two sons in Denver, was present at request and showed great interest in the cause. . . .Mr. E. Hekman Sr. was of great help from the very first as well in Michigan as in Denver. He succeeded Dr. Poppen as president [of the Board], and the Association owes much to this leader with his sound judgment, and also to his son, Henry Hekman, who first acted as Clerk and now is president, and who has been a Board member through all the years of Bethesda’s existence. In His kind providence God brought those men from the very beginning into living contract with Bethesda.

Resources

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rjb54&id=I05717

http://www.calvin.edu/publications/spark/2003/spring/flashback.htm

Bosch, Meindert. Bridges across the years: The ninety-year history of the Bethesda Hospital Association of Denver, Colorado. Bethesda PsycHealth System, Denver, CO: 1988.

http://www.hekman.com/our_history