Betty Van Andel, wife of Amway founder, dies

[WMUDan]

Jay Van Andel's worth 1.5 Billion dollars.......



Betty Van Andel, wife of Amway founder, dies
Associated Press

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Betty Van Andel, the wife of Amway Corp. co-founder Jay Van Andel, died Sunday. She was 82.

Van Andel was at her family home on Peter Island in the Caribbean when she died. Van Andel had Alzheimer's disease and had been in declining health for some time, her family said.

"Betty was an inspiration to everyone she met," Amway co-founder Rich DeVos said in a news release. "She was a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother whose compassion enriched many lives."

Through the Jay and Betty Van Andel Foundation, the couple contributed to charities, hospitals, schools and other institutions. Its beneficiaries include the Van Andel Institute, a medical and scientific research organization.

Van Andel was an honorary chairwoman of Opera Grand Rapids. She also was a president of the Eagle Forum of Michigan and served on the boards of St. Cecilia Music Society and Pine Rest Christian Hospital.

Born Betty Hoekstra in Grand Rapids in 1921, she graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School and Calvin College. She married Jay Van Andel in 1952.

She is survived by her husband, sons Steve and Dave, daughters Nan Van Andel and Barb Van Andel-Gaby, sister Florence Vanderveen and ten grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete Sunday night.

Founded in 1959, the direct sales company Amway now is a subsidiary of Ada-based Alticor Inc. Alticor reported sales of $4.9 billion in its latest fiscal year.

[Mattingly70]

If only it could have been Betsy DeVoss.

[DetroitFolly]

Originally posted by Mattingly70
If only it could have been Betsy DeVoss.

Sorry, Mattingly...but I'm officially going to frown on this post.

[Mattingly70]

Originally posted by DetroitFolly
Sorry, Mattingly...but I'm officially going to frown on this post.

ok, i won't defend myself beyond saying that Betty seemed pretty cool, while the world would be improved w/out Mrs. D. IMO. it is what it is.

[ToledoTigerFan]

I am not happy when anyone dies, unless it's Charles Manson or Turdball Hussien or someone similar.

However, Amway is a perfectly legal pyramid scheme. If anyone had ever been to one of their recruitment seminars, you'd think the same thing.

[WMUDan]

Originally posted by ToledoTigerFan
I am not happy when anyone dies, unless it's Charles Manson or Turdball Hussien or someone similar.

However, Amway is a perfectly legal pyramid scheme. If anyone had ever been to one of their recruitment seminars, you'd think the same thing.

thats really funny.

[Billy Ringo]

My daughter has been Mrs. van Andel's hairdresser for 10+ years. After Betty was stricken with Alzheimer's disease Kathy would drive up to the van Andel's summer cottage in the Macatawa dune area. This was is summer, of course. In winter I think they lived on a Carribean island. Peter Island, I believe.

[Oblong]

If only it could have been Betsy DeVoss.

Quite possibly one of the worst things ever written on a message board not run by the KKK or Taliban.

Wishing death on someone. Nice.

[shabba4detroit]

Originally posted by Mattingly70
If only it could have been Betsy DeVoss.

Mean and mean spirited. Typical leftist hatred. Shame on you, 'tingly.

[Brian]

Good news. My life goes on.

[DetroitFolly]

Originally posted by shabba4detroit
Mean and mean spirited. Typical leftist hatred. Shame on you, 'tingly.

Oh come on. Obviously he meant it as a joke. It wasn't in the best taste, but it was still a joke. I highly doubt he really wishes she were dead.

[Rooster]

I'm glad that joke flew over my head, it's too early and too cold to think this morning.

[Biff Mayhem]

Originally posted by DetroitFolly
Oh come on. Obviously he meant it as a joke. It wasn't in the best taste, but it was still a joke. I highly doubt he really wishes she were dead.

I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt but his retort to the original shock of the matter was:

the world would be improved w/out Mrs. D. IMO. it is what it is.

I think one of our sense of humor needs tweaking and I doubt it is me.

[shabba4detroit]

Originally posted by DetroitFolly
Sorry, Mattingly...but I'm officially going to frown on this post.

So, was this a joke as well?

[shabba4detroit]

Originally posted by DetroitFolly
Oh come on. Obviously he meant it as a joke. It wasn't in the best taste, but it was still a joke. I highly doubt he really wishes she were dead.

As a joke, it was mean and mean spirited. The fact (still debatable) that he doesn't actually wish Betsy DeVos dead changes nothing I said.

[TigerCap]

Betsy goes to my church once in a while. Although I don't expect everyone to agree with her politically, she 'puts her money where her mouth is'. She does a LOT for the community and for different charaties.
I am no fan of Amway. And, she may be rich. But, she does a lot of good for many people.

[smr-nj]

I'm going to admit to my ignorance here.
Who is Betsy DeVoss?

Can somebody fill me in?

[Oblong]

She's the co founder of Amway, or the wife of the co founder, and also chairperson of the Michigan GOP. She's pretty outspoken.

[smr-nj]

Ok, thanks for the info.

[DetroitFolly]

Originally posted by shabba4detroit
So, was this a joke as well?

It was me saying I thought the joke was in poor taste, which I reiterated in my earlier response to your knee-jerk reaction post.

[TigerCap]

Originally posted by Oblong
She's the co founder of Amway, or the wife of the co founder, and also chairperson of the Michigan GOP. She's pretty outspoken.

Not a big deal, but here father-in-law is actually the co-founder. The other guy is Van Andel (Van Andel Arena). DeVos and VanAndel are big names around Grand Rapids. A lot of people hate them because they do a lot for Republican party politics, others hate them because people from Amway are annoying, and others hate them because they're rich. All these things are true, but they do a lot for community and causes.

[DetroitFolly]

Kind of like Ilitch.



Actually, Van Andel and DeVos do a lot of good things. But they also seem to be huge egomaniacs. Their names are on everything!

Anyway, I don't like him because he took Grant Hill from the Pistons. I suppose it worked out, but I was still PO'd at the time.

Anyway, I wish I had a couple Bil to throw around.

[Billy Ringo]

Originally posted by smr-nj
I'm going to admit to my ignorance here.
Who is Betsy DeVoss?

Can somebody fill me in?

The name is correctly spelled De Vos, or better yet de Vos. The woman's father and mother were Mr. & Mrs. Edgar Prince. He founded the Prince Corporation. Upon his sudden and very unfortunate death from a heart attack, his wife controlled the firm and a short time later sold it to Johnson Controls.

Betsy, Prince's daughter, is the Chairman of Michigan Republican Committee, and I assume that is why she bugs Mattingly. She is tough minded and smart, and is always in conflict with Governor Jennifer Granholm, a Socialist of the first water.

Betsy is married to a son of Dick de Vos, the co-founder of Amway. She grew up about 3 blocks from my house. Edgar Prince was also a philanthropist and used a heap of his own money to benefit the City of Holland.

[MotownRandy]

Oh no, my friend is going to be so dissappointed. Maybe now he'll stop wasting his time his "business".

and also chairperson of the Michigan GOP.

No wonder he's republican!

[ob cron]

Kind of like Ilitch.

Actually, Van Andel and DeVos do a lot of good things. But they also seem to be huge egomaniacs. Their names are on everything!

Anyway, I don't like him because he took Grant Hill from the Pistons. I suppose it worked out, but I was still PO'd at the time.

Anyway, I wish I had a couple Bil to throw around.




The way this turned out (Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkiins for Grant Hill), is one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the NBA, and it's in Detroit's favor. Of course it didn't look that way at the time of the trade. Thank you Amway.

Personally, I've never bought any of the Amway stuff. It just seemed way overpriced and the sellers always were very pushy in recruting me to sell the stuff.


At least when I buy Pizza from Ilitch, it's cheap, tastes pretty good, they don't beat on my door to buy it, and I've never been solicited to open a Little Caesars.

[Auburndale Ray]

I almost joined Amway a long time ago...I went to two meetings...and enjoyed the little crackers with cheese on them...

[zimm]

this is sad news. my understanding is that Mrs. van andel has suffered from advanced alzheimers for quite some time.

there are cetrtainly a lot of good and bad things that could be said of the devos and vanandel families.-particularly regarding their involvement in political and philanthropic affairs. i had the opportunity to work for amway (no, i didn't sell their stuff), for about 18 months a few years ago. i also had the bad timing of working there during the re-organization of amway which resulted in an enormous loss of jobs-me amongst them. as with everything that amway does, the tone of the organization is set from the top(vanandels and devos's)-and i have to say that i was handeled as well as i can imagine an organization that large can, and they went to great lengths to help the severed employees both financially(a great severance plan for even the bottom of the totem pole guys like me), and by extending unbelievable resources to everyone to assist them in finding new jobs, or redirecting into new endeavors. i have to give a lot of the credit for my ability to transition into a new career to the financial and jobseeking resources amway provided me. anyway, for whatever people think of them, the founding families of amway do a lot of really great things for the people who work for them, and their communities- above and beyond what is commonplace for people in their situation.

[MotownRandy]

I think Amway is a joke. Sure, people made millions of dollars off it, but I doubt anybody who enters into it now will succeed that much. It's not a illegal pyramid scam, but it's similar in that the people at the top profit from the people at the bottom. I refuse to be at the bottom.