Johanna "Faye" (Battens) Van Geloof

Johanna “Faye” Van Geloof, 95, North Manchester, Indiana, formerly of Corona, California, passed away on October 2, 2022 at Peabody Healthcare Center in North Manchester. The only child of Anton and Alieda (Battens) DeJager, Faye was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on July 1, 1927.

Faye’s childhood was filled with much love but also with destruction and heartbreak. She learned to put others first at an early age as well as the meaning of heroism and to fight for what is right. During the Nazi invasion in WWII, her family hid Dutch resistance fighters in their tiny Holland apartment, shaping who Faye would become. She instilled a crusader spirit to spread the love of God and change the world one life at a time into every member of her family. Faye graduated at the age of sixteen when her design school was destroyed by bombs in 1943. Her dream was always to be a hat and clothing designer.

On July 28, 1948, Faye married the love of her life, Arthur Van Geloof in the Netherlands. The two were wed for nearly forty-nine years before Arthur died on March 5, 1997. They were blessed with three children, Cora, Arthur, and Fayeanna. In 1954 Faye and Arthur made the life-changing decision to leave the home and world they knew and immigrate to the United States. Raising their family in California, Faye and Arthur created a life of love, grace, and volunteerism. Faye was active as a Girl Scouts Den Mother and a leader for the Boy Scouts. She was also a member of Red Hat Society and Toastmistress. Faye helped support her family by working as a recreational therapist in Corona, California’s school district as well as at local retirement homes.

Christian ministry was important to Faye. She was a member of Crossroad Christian Church in Corona, California, and Pleasant View Bible Church in Warsaw, Indiana, after moving to the area in her later years. All of her children and grandchildren are still actively involved in Christian ministry as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and in vocational ministries across the world.

The loving memory of Johanna “Faye” Van Geloof will be forever cherished by her son, Arthur (Kim) Van Geloof Jr., Fullerton, California; daughters, Cora (Steve) Alley, Warsaw, Indiana, and Fayeanna (Ted) Worrell, Skyforest, California; grandchildren, Jason (Emily) Alley, Sophie (Nick) Sykes, Allie (Tyler) Swaney, Aubree (Alexis) Cutz, Nick (Hallie) Worrell, and Brody (Elysee) Worrell; and great-grandchildren, Teagan Alley, Shiloh Alley, Uriah Cutz, Jaymiah Cutz, Nehemiah Cutz, Isaiah Cutz, Lucy Swaney, Jude Swaney, Faye Sykes, and Hugo Sykes.

A celebration of Faye’s life will be held at a later date in Corona, California.

Faye lived her entire life by a simple poem: “A bell is no bell, ‘till you ring it.

                                                                      A song, is no song, ‘till you sing it.

                                                                      And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay,

                                                                      Love is not love, ‘till you give it away.” – Oscar Hammerstein II

The family of Johanna “Faye” Van Geloof has entrusted McKee Mortuary with care and final arrangements. 

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