Sylvia Frens
Marriages
Jerry VanderVelde - October 1955
Later divorced in 1979
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 5A - July 24, 2022
Sylvia Frens was born on
January 26, 1936, in Grand
Rapids, Michigan to Rev.
Richard Frens and Mrs.
Della Frens. Her father was
a minister in the Christian
Reformed Church and her
mother was a stay-at-home
minister’s wife and mom.
Sylvia was the youngest of three children. She had a
sister named Verna and a brother named Roland.
During childhood, one of her closest friends was her
cousin, Don Faber, who was born within days of Sylvia.
Don and Sylvia enjoyed getting up to mischief together.
They would throw snowballs at passing cars during the
cold Michigan winters, then gleefully duck back into
the church and hide beneath the pews, thereby avoiding
detection and possible - no, probable! - consequences.
When Sylvia’s family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, in
the mid 50’s, she made friends with the lively teenage
VanderVelde girls and other young women from her
father’s new church. As she was the eldest of the social
group and had possession of a car, she and her friends
could be found on the weekends enjoying their freedom
and each other’s company.
Sylvia married Jerry VanderVelde in October of 1955.
One year later, Sharon was born, followed seven years
later by Sandra. Finally, in 1967, Richard was born.
While her children were growing up, Sylvia was a
devoted fan of Jeopardy and Let’s Make a Deal. She
escorted her children to swimming lessons, batontwirling lessons, and to the library. Sylvia was like a
second mother to Shari’s best friend, Cindy.
In 1975, the family moved to Glenwood Springs,
Colorado, and purchased Scott’s Trash Disposal. A new
way of life in western Colorado ensued as Sylvia took
care of the books for the business and learned to drive
in the mountains.
After 24 years of marriage, Sylvia and Jerry parted
ways and Sylvia went on to engage in a wide variety
of business opportunities, including owner/operator of
Scott’s Disposal, co-creator of a gift basket company in
Oak Creek, AZ, owner of a delicatessen in Sacramento
and a neighborhood tavern in Santa Barbara, CA. Sylvia
called seven states home over her lifetime, Michigan,
Illinois, Colorado, Florida, California, Arizona, and
Nevada.
One of Sylvia’s closest friends after her divorce was
her brother’s wife, Christina Balek. The two of them
developed a strong friendship that lasted for many
years, even when they lived miles apart. Christina
remembers how Sylvia was her daughter’s only aunt,
and how Sylvia made the long trek from Palm Springs
to visit her in Northern Utah, when both were women
on their own and figuring out their way forward in life.
Sylvia is survived by her daughters, Shari VanderVelde
and Sandra VanderVelde; as well as her son, Richard
VanderVelde; and her grandchildren, Kira Bhatti and
Camron Roberts.
Services for Sylvia’s friends and family will be held
on October 15, at 10:30 a.m. at The Koinonia Church in
Grand Junction. Cremation services are being provided
by Martin Mortuary. Please contact Shari VanderVelde
(sharivandervelde@gmail.com) for further information.
