Retired pastor Glenn M. Wagner remembers the exemplary life of his beloved mother-in-law, Margaret Oosting, and a ministry lesson he learned from her funeral.
GLENN M. WAGNER
Michigan Conference Communications
It was early May 1992 in Fremont, Michigan. First Reformed Church was filled. Family, friends, neighbors, distant relatives, and most of the large congregation had come together for a funeral service to remember the extraordinary life of a woman who had a profound impact on all those gathered.
Margaret Frens Oosting was beloved as a mom to her family. She was a wonderful grandmother to three grandchildren. Margaret was also cherished as a lifetime resident of the area. I loved Margaret as my mother-in-law, role model, and friend.
Margaret had grown up on a farm near Fremont in Reeman, Michigan. She was the youngest child of John and Johanna Frens, Dutch immigrants, in a family that included three older brothers and a sister.
Margaret began life in a rural home without electricity on a 40-acre farm that raised cattle, hogs, and crops to feed them. Her father built the barn with help from the neighbors.
As a young girl, Margaret survived a bout of scarlet fever.
When her family purchased a battery-powered radio, Margaret enjoyed listening to the accessible Chicago radio station that broadcast Chicago Cubs baseball games. She had a ready recall of all things Chicago Cubs!
Before her marriage, Margaret was a secretary at Gerber Products Company in Fremont.
On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1946, when they were both 26, Margaret Frens married Wayne Oosting, a World War II veteran, and son of Fremont’s large animal veterinarian. After their marriage, Wayne pursued education and a career as a respected Fremont optometrist. Their marriage took place at Margaret’s family home in Reeman, with Margaret wearing a veil borrowed from her sister-in-law.
Wayne and Margaret raised two wonderful children. Their son, David, later succeeded his father in helping Fremont with its vision as an optometrist. Their daughter, Nancy, met me in 1971 at Hope College in Holland. Like her own mom before her, Nancy is also a phenomenal wife, mother, and grandmother.
Margaret was an accomplished organist and pianist who began playing at Reeman Christian Reformed Church at 14. She continued her music ministry after marrying at First Reformed Church in Fremont. Margaret volunteered her musical gifts in service for 44 years as the organist and accompanist for the church’s worship services and choir practices on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday evenings. She accompanied weddings, funerals, and special church events. She was blessed with outstanding people skills and a remarkable memory of important details in people’s lives, which made her feel valued as a friend to many.
Margaret was also respected as a Christian leader in her church. She taught Bible studies, Sunday school, and led women’s groups. Her faith was inspirational to all who knew her. Her Bible was full of notes and highlighted verses that were important to her.
Margaret loved to knit and crochet, and she could sew anything with or without a pattern. She was patient in teaching these skills to others.
Margaret loved to play golf with her husband on his days off from work and developed a great short game around the greens.
In their spare time, Margaret honored her farm background along with Wayne’s upbringing in the world of a farm veterinarian in a shared adult hobby of raising and racing harness horses. Margaret’s knowledge of harness horse breeding lines was encyclopedic.
Even though this non-Dutch son-in-law had fallen in love with her daughter and taken Nancy and her grandchildren away from Fremont for an itinerant life as a United Methodist pastor, Margaret never wavered in her total love and acceptance of me as a valued part of her family. It helped my cause when the Oostings invited me along with Nancy on an early date to Northville to watch their harness horse, Sassafras Power, race at Northville Downs. Sass won!
Margaret’s final battle with cancer was a major factor in our decision to transfer in ministry from Northern Illinois to West Michigan in 1992. We desired to be close enough to spend more time with my wife’s family.
In Fremont’s Gerber Hospital intensive care unit, Margaret wept springtime tears of joy when she learned the news of her son-in-law’s new pastoral appointment to West Michigan, effective July 1, 1992. I was appointed to serve as pastor of Community United Methodist Church in nearby North Muskegon. I had just received news of my new appointment at our home in Harvard, Illinois, by phone from Rev. Sharon Rader, who was then serving as the Grand Rapids District Superintendent. I called Nancy, who was visiting her mom in Fremont’s Gerber Hospital, and she relayed the news of our move to Michigan. Margaret proclaimed her happiness: “My girl is coming home!”
Margaret died on Wednesday, April 29, 1992, at 69.
Margaret’s funeral service was held just two days later, on Friday, May 1, at First Reformed Church in Fremont.
Unfortunately, during Margaret’s battle with cancer, she had been absent from church and hadn’t had the opportunity to meet her new pastor. The clergyman began her service this way: “I never knew Margaret.”
The pastor did not mention her again and proceeded to read a standard funeral liturgy and sermon.
Our family’s grief over Margaret’s death was deepened by a missed opportunity to publicly remember the gift of an extraordinary mom.
To be fair, the pastor is to be commended for his effort on short notice. He importantly reminded us of the source of our eternal hope in Jesus.
In honor of Margaret Oosting, I have pledged to meet with every family prior to each funeral / memorial service in order to learn their life story and discover God’s fingerprints on their lives. This blesses every celebration of life, giving thanks to God in a personal way.
It is early May again. On Sunday, May 11, 2025, America will celebrate Mother’s Day for the 117th time.
Mother’s Day is a cherished annual reminder to celebrate our moms. As an expression of faith in a loving God, find meaningful ways to thank your mom or those who have been mother figures to you in this life. Do it on Mother’s Day. Do it often, even after Mother’s Day! Show, by your own life and witness, that you are still making your mom’s investment in your life worthwhile.
The Bible reminds us in the prophetic words of Isaiah 66:13 that God’s love for us is like a mom’s love for her child: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (NIV).
With profound gratitude for the sacrificial gift of our mother’s love that brought us into this world and helped to raise us after the example of your greater love for the world, help us, God, find loving ways to show our gratitude to you and our mothers. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Last Updated on May 7, 2025