Jacqueline Redding

Jacqueline Dorothy "Jackie" Redding, age 88, of Gowen, passed away Monday evening, January 3, 2022. The daughter of Elmer Iva & Evelyn Marion (Ruster) Kuiper, she was born on July 12, 1933 in Holland, Michigan. In her youth she pollenated flowers at a nursery and as an adult worked as staff assistant in other businesses, but most of her life was devoted to being good daughter, wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. Her fondest childhood memories were with her bother Dale playing at her grandmother's home on Lake Michigan. Starting with her dad's hunting dogs, there was always a dog or two in her life. Standing 5'7", she was on the Oakleigh High School woman's basketball team in 1949 at the age of 16. Soon after graduating from high school, she met her husband Carl at a dance in Ravenna. They married two years later, soon after Carl joined the U.S. Air Force. Married at 22, she traveled the world, lived in Japan, road elephants in India, visited Buddhist temples in Thailand and flew on Military transports. As an Air Force wife, she organized and hosted formal socials and service projects. She enjoyed drawing, learned to paint and eventually taught painting classes in Greenville. Her paintings hang in many people's homes today. She also taught her grandchildren to paint and encouraged their creativity and imagination in other areas as well. She enjoyed the seasons in West Michigan and all the activities particularly the summers sailing and swimming with her friends and grandchildren as well as walks in the woods with her dogs. She played the organ and piano at church, taught classes, served as President of the Relief Society, and often helped complete strangers. She worked through physical and emotional afflictions most of her life that include the death of her father at 19, car accident at 30, death of her son at 70, and stroke at 71. Through years of numerous surgeries and months in hospitals, she typically thought of others, exemplified kindness and showed patience despite her own suffering. She consistently showed love for all her family and friends with understanding and unwavering hope, prayer and fasting for them. When asked, what has been your greatest lesson in life, she replied, to forgive others and forgive yourself. Stop carrying grievances. Stop banging yourself in the head. Get over it, let go of it, and free yourself to live a happier life. Jackie was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer & Evelyn Kuiper; her parents-in-law, Cyril & Dorothy Redding; a brother, Dale Kuiper; and a son, Brent Redding. Surviving are her husband of 66 years, Carl Redding; a son and daughter-in-law, Craig & Darlene Redding; grandchildren, Mark, Melisa, Amanda, Courtland and Camron; and her adopted grandchildren, Jessica, Mathew, and Hanna. Visitation with the family is from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 10700 Carson City Road (M-57), Greenville, where memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jacqueline Redding, please visit our flower store.