Wilma N. Brightwell Obituary
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at Joldersma & Klein Funeral Home, 917 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo. Friends may call on the family one hour prior to the service at the funeral beginning at 1:00 p.m. Wilma will be laid to rest next to Millard at South Portage Cemetery. The family would thank her caregivers at Medilodge of Portage, where she made her home for the past several years, for their loving care and concern. Memorial contributions may be made to SPCA of Southwest Michigan, in c/o the funeral home.
Age 93, passed away Saturday morning, July 20, 2024. Wilma was born in Kalamazoo on September 21, 1930, the daughter of John and Ada (VanderBos) Van Gemert. On January 9, 1953, she married Millard Arthur Brightwell who preceded her in death in 1990. Wilma worked for 46 years at the Mead Corp. She was a loving wife and devoted mother. Wilma is survived by her children, David Brightwell of Portage, Sandy (Jeff) Tysen of Gobles; nine grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; brother, John Van Gemert of Oshtemo; several nieces and nephews; and many friends. Besides her husband, Wilma was preceded in death by a son, John Brightwell; a daughter, Nancy Wheeler; two brothers and five sisters.
