Fay Joan Mentink

Fay Joan Mentink, 93, of Oostburg passed away on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at the Harbor Club in Port Washington.

Fay was born on Aug. 10, 1931, in Plymouth to Earl and Mabel (Hesselink) Ebbers. 

She graduated from Oostburg High School in 1949. Fay attended Central College in Pella, Iowa, obtaining her teaching degree, and taught elementary education for several years. 

On June 13, 1953, Fay was united in marriage to Philip Mentink in Gibbsville. They shared 66 years of marriage before Phil’s passing in 2020. 

Phil and Fay enjoyed the winter months of their retirement years in Clermont, Fla., with many friends from the Oostburg area.

Fay was a talented music teacher for all of her adult life. She played the piano and organ for the churches she attended. She gave piano and organ lessons to others. Her students loved having her for a teacher and performing at end-of-the-year recitals for their families. Her favorite music was classical and religious, but she also played a great rendition of “Sentimental Journey” and “White Christmas!” She gave lessons until she was 80 years old and afterwards lessons for free because she just loved doing it!

Fay enjoyed holiday celebrations with her family, especially Christmas. Her dinners always included a delicious ham, all the sides and her famous pies or chocolate cake for dessert. She loved decorating her entire home at Christmas, Easter and Halloween, and on the Fourth of July, she proudly flew two American flags from her front porch. One year her home was beautifully decorated and included in the Christmas Tour of Homes in Oostburg. 

She loved gardening, always wanting to show off the flowers on her porch and deck or offering you a treat of raspberries that grew in the backyard.

Fay relaxed at home with a cup of tea, watching her favorite shows, “As the World Turns” or “Little House on the Prairie,” with her dog Beethoven sitting right next to her on the floor.

Fay was a woman of strong faith in the Lord. She was a longtime member of First Reformed Church in Oostburg. She regularly participated in weekly Bible studies and was president of the Christian Women’s Club in Boscobel. She entered the kingdom of heaven with the faith of a child, possessing the qualities of humility and trust and an unwavering belief in her Father in heaven.

Fay is survived by her daughters Connie (John) Berken of Sheboygan and Kris Zadrazil (John Larsen) of Boscobel; five grandchildren, Micah, Cara (Nathaniel), Anna (Charles), Benjamin and Jonathan; five great-grandchildren, Amelia, Koyer, Kinnley, Wesley and Samuel; niece Mary Lynn; other extended family members; and many dear friends.

Fay was preceded in death by her husband Phil, parents Earl and Mabel, infant twin brothers, parents-in-law Herbert and Ann and brother-in-law Richard (Rosemary Miller) Mentink.

A funeral service to celebrate Fay’s life was to be held at Wenig Funeral Home in Oostburg on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at noon. An entombment was to take place at Sunrise Memorial Gardens.

Relatives and friends greeted the family at the funeral home from 11 a.m. until the service.

The family wishes to extend a sincere thank you to the staff at Harbor Campus in Port Washington for the many years of respectful care and genuine kindness Fay received on her journey. We would also like to thank everyone at Sharon S. Richardson Hospice for providing her with compassionate care and fulfilling her spiritual needs.

Memorials are appreciated in Fay’s name.

For online condolences and additional information, please visit www.wenigfh.com. 

Wenig Funeral Home of Oostburg, (920) 564-2771, is honored to be serving the Mentink family.