Yes It’s True: Joan Medendorp left laudable legacy

There have been many kind words said about Joan Medendorp in the wake of her passing this week. All of them well deserved.

My take on her was that she was indeed a decent and honorable human being who lived, loved, cared and shared. She was one of those people who make small communities the wonderful places they are in which to live.

The irony here is that in 1986, when I interviewed her for a feature story, a sort of “This Is Your Life” attempt, she confessed that when she and husband Larry first moved here in the early 1970s, she was less than impressed with Wayland. She intimated that she cried an awful lot as a young mother living in a town where virtually everything was closed on Sunday.

Joan came from Muskegon and was a Big Red, graduating from Muskegon High School, living in the big city for most of her life until then. So Wayland presented her with a bit of culture shock.

This is hard to believe about a woman who was a genuine community activist, who did so many things to make small town life better.

One of my earliest memories about her was her very determined effort to prove herself as a softball umpire. I sometimes caught her calling balls and strikes at Wayland Recreation games involving the team later to known as the Super Sneakers. Team members were three of my sisters and a sister-in-law. The manager was my old fishing buddy, who admitted Joan Medendorp “didn’t take any guff” from all those men who thought they knew the game better than she did.

Her obituary mentioned that she was one of the very first female umpires in West Michigan. As Dan Bern sang in his naughty song, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.”

I came back to Wayland 10 years later and interviewed her. Noting her many accomplishments, including City Council and Henika Library Board membership and director of the Community Recreation and Education Department, I asked her what she most wanted to be remembered for.

She replied, “I’d like to be remembered as a good mother.”

Done.

All three of the Medendorp children turned out well. Cindi was a lifeguard who saved a young person’s life at the pool. Cheri was a standout volleyball and basketball player for very good Lady Wildcat teams.

I remembered that Cindi was the only girl who entered the Globe tennis tournament in her age bracket and nearly cried when I told her on the phone she wouldn’t be playing anyone.

Through the years, I didn’t see Joan or her family members very often afterward, but as yearbooks so often claim, she always had, “a smile for all.”

Was city slicker Joan Medendorp changed by Wayland, or was it the other way around?

Both.