George Bernard Van Antwerp, Sr., passed away in Royal Oak, MI on February 14, 2019 at the age of 91. He is survived by Mary Louise (Beale) Van Antwerp, his beloved wife of 48 years, and their three children: George (Kerri) Van Antwerp, Karon (Andy) Latham, and Michael (Ami) Van Antwerp. He was a loving grandfather “Opa” to eight grandchildren: Keeley, Britt, Alex, Elise, Katherine, Sawyer, Macie, and Harper and is survived by three of his ten siblings: Hon.
Daniel (Cecelia) Van Antwerp, Dacia (Patrick) Pollard, and Agnes Van Antwerp. He is preceded in death by his parents: Eugene Ignatius and Mary Frances (McDevitt) Van Antwerp and seven siblings: Sr. Mary Dolores Van Antwerp, R.S.C.J. , Pauline Annetta “Polly” Denton, Frances Lauretta Jaeger, Eugene Ignatius “Gene” Van Antwerp Jr., Francis Joseph “Joe” Van Antwerp, Anthony “Gore” Van Antwerp, and Joan Cecilia Shannon.
George was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Gesu Catholic School where he served as an altar boy, captain of the safety patrol, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Catholic Central High School in Detroit (class of 1945) and subsequently attended Sacred Heart Seminary and St. John Provincial Seminary.
He was ordained in 1953 and served as a Roman Catholic diocesan priest for seventeen years, working at St. Mary of Good Counsel (Adrian), St. Francis Xavier (Ecorse), Most Holy Trinity (Detroit), St. Joseph (Erie), and St. Boniface (Detroit). As a priest, he also taught religion at Cardinal Mooney High School, worked with the Cursillo movement, worked with the migrant workers in Lenawee and Monroe counties, and started a credit union, catechetical program, and youth program in San Rafael de Yuma, Dominican Republic. He was then excited to be chosen by John Cardinal Dearden to be the first head of the initial missionary effort of the Archdiocese of Detroit to Recife, Brazil, where he worked with Archbishop Dom Helder Camara and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) sisters to build and grow a parish community working in the favelas and with the leper community.
After leaving the priesthood, he fell in love and married Mary Louise Beale. He then took a position with the United States Peace Corps, and they moved to Natal, Brazil, where he was the Director for Northeast Brazil and was responsible for all the volunteers in that area. He returned to Detroit a few years later to serve the city he loved in leadership positions at Self-Help Addiction Rehab (SHAR), Mt.
Carmel Mercy Hospital, Southwest Mental Health, Boniface Human Services, National Migrant Workers (with the Sisters of Mercy), and St. Vincent de Paul Society. In each of those roles and through other volunteer roles, he embraced every opportunity to help those in need, leaving behind a legacy of a lifetime of service. He served for numerous yeas on the boards of the Michigan League for Human Services and the Msgr.
Clement H. Kern Foundation, with the latter being the only one he continued until he was recently hospitalized. George was a family man who loved his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was intrigued by the Van Antwerp family history in the United States and often worked to connect the family.
George enjoyed playing bridge and was active in several bridge groups, playing frequently with long-time friends, many of whom he’d known since his seminary days. He also enjoyed the game of chess and spent several years teaching the game to kids at George Crockett Academy in Detroit. After he retired and between games of solitaire and bridge and volunteering, he wrote several books and helped his friends to publish books on different topics.
George loved to tell stories and wanted to capture those for future generations. His books included The Ninth Child (books I-III), Zoon: Van Antwerp Family Saga, Cooking Rocks! , and The Final Four, which he wrote with his three surviving siblings – the “Final Four” of the eleven siblings for these past 12 years.
Visitation will take place Saturday 4-7 p.m. and Sunday 1-8 p.m. with a 4 p.m. vigil service at the Wm. Sullivan and Son Funeral Home, 705 W 11 Mile Road (4 blocks E of Woodward), Royal Oak, MI 48067. The funeral will be held Monday, in state 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass 10 a.m., at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 13500 Oak Park Blvd.
, Oak Park, MI 48237. All are invited to attend and celebrate George’s life.
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