Larry Hollenbeck

Larry Dean Hollenbeck passed peacefully surrounded by his family on April 12th, 2025 as the result of head injuries sustained during a fall.  

Larry was the eldest of three children, born on December 20, 1939 to Vera (Johnson) and Alvin Duane Hollenbeck, and raised on their family farm outside Quimby, IA.  As a student, he played basketball and baseball but especially loved woodworking and aspired to become an automotive design engineer.  He received offers from General Motors to attend their design school from the models he’d crafted.  Instead, Larry decided to study engineering at Iowa State University and was the first in his family to leave farming and go on to college in Ames, IA where he soon after met the love of his life, Ina Jane Bowman.   

Upon college graduation, Larry received a job offer from The Littel Manufacturing Company in Chicago, IL.  He took the job, married Ina Jane, and they began their family in the suburb of Arlington Heights, IL.   While an engineer, Larry focused on technical sales and eventually became General Manager of the Littel Company.  The family moved to nearby Winnetka, IL where they lived until 1982 and attended Winnetka Presbyterian Church.  In addition to his talent for fine wood working, Larry’s other beloved hobby from childhood was fishing.  He and Ina Jane fulfilled a dream for Northwoods lakefront property when they purchased a wooded lot and eventually built a family cottage on Legend Lake in Keshena, WI.   They spent nearly every available summer weekend with their kids “Up North” from suburban Chicago at the lake, catching many fish and creating countless family memories together.  After the Littel Company was acquired by a larger firm, Larry decided to take a job with Wing & Jabaay Machine Tools and the family moved to Grand Rapids, MI where they lived for 43 years in nearby Caledonia.  Larry loved the machine tool industry and served executive positions with The American Machine Tool Distributors Association while working as General Manager of Wing & Jabaay until his retirement in 2006.  

His passion for fishing was exceeded only by his love of family, country, and God.  He was a devoted partner to his wife Ina Jane and instilled his remarkable work ethic in son, Andrew and daughter, Jennifer.  When the first of five grandchildren was born, he said that if he knew how great it would be to be a grandpa, he would have skipped parenting and gone straight to being a grandparent. The many gifts he created for them while playing Santa in his woodshop will be treasured heirlooms for future generations. 

Larry had a dry sense of humor and loved a clever joke.  His laugh while re-telling a joke typically brought him to tears, while everyone around him fell to pieces laughing with him.  He devoted his life outside of work and family to volunteering, serving in numerous lay-leadership positions at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Camp Henry, Porter Hills, and other church affiliated causes.  Larry will be remembered for his firm handshakes, generous hugs, commitment to his family, work ethic, and personal integrity.    

Larry is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ina Jane Hollenbeck; their children, Andrew Hollenbeck and wife Keri Hollenbeck, Jennifer Hollenbeck Anker and husband Steve Anker; grandchildren Michael Anker, Samuel Hollenbeck, Kyle Hollenbeck, Laura Anker, Lukas Hollenbeck; sister-in-law Carol Hollenbeck; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.  He was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law, brother Rodney Hollenbeck, sister Jane Mauk, and sisters-in-law Barbara Graves (Robert) and Eleanor Balsley (Lee). 

Following cremation, a memorial for Larry will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday, May 25 at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception.  In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Camp Henry or First-Hand Aid.

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