photograph
Catalog Number
2022.1.5Description
Black and white senior class photograph of Holland High student Elvin Slenk (1927-2020), class of 1945.History
After graduation, Elvin would later become the owner of the Overisel Lumber Company. His wife, Giletta Vander Kolk, was also a Holland High grad, class of 1945.Elvin J. Slenk Obituary from Dykstra Funeral Home
"El Slenk died on Monday, December 28, 2020.
Born in 1927 and raised in Laketown and in Holland, El finished Holland High School a year early so he could join the Navy. He served in the South Pacific as a transfer boat captain ferrying supplies and men from Navy ships to shore and back. He returned to Holland after the war and attended Hope College, subsequently moving to Kalamazoo for work. He finished his accounting degree at Western Michigan University.
He married Jill VanderKolk, settled in Holland and, in partnership with Gord Zuverink, purchased Overisel Lumber on the same day his oldest son Greg was born in 1953. The lumberyard was moved to Holland in 1965. El and Jill went on to have two more children, Tim and Julie.
Professionally, El became sole owner of Overisel Lumber, growing the organization from a single location to three (Holland, Douglas, South Haven) with a fourth on the drawing board (Stevensville/St. Joseph). Now a third-generation family business, he trained both of his sons and two grandsons to be trusted members of the building community. A founding member of the Holland Homebuilders Association (HBA), El invited new members to meetings held in the Overisel Lumber basement meeting room. He served on the HBA board and was proud that his son Greg and grandson Jason have also served as officers."