- Date Of Birth: January 15, 1936
- Date Of Death: May 9, 2018
- State: Michigan
Reta Lucile Sikkenga, age 82 years of Dowagiac, Michigan died peacefully at 2:08 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 with family present at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan following an extended illness. Her family is grateful for the compassionate and professional care provided by the staff of Borgess.
She was currently a member of the First United Methodist Church in Dowagiac, and had been a longtime member of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Bryan. She was formerly a member of the Business and Professional Women, the Order of the Eastern Star, and had been active in local and state education associations. She loved kids, enjoyed teaching, and even tutored students in reading and math.
Even more than teaching, Reta loved music, beginning at Dowagiac schools, playing the flute and piccolo. During high school she attended the Summer Arts Camp at the Interlochen (Michigan) Center for the Arts as a student and later returned as an instructor. While teaching general studies in local classrooms, she would volunteer to provide piano accompaniment for the school’s music programs, and she also served as a guest organist in local churches.
She was first married to Jack F. Watts, and later married to Richard L. Snivley. On November 24, 2007 in Bryan she married Raymond R. Sikkenga who survives.
Also surviving are Reta’s children, Jon (& Dawn) Watts of Bradenton, Florida, Jacqueline (& Philip) Weaver of Whitehouse, Ohio, Patricia Watts of Belleair, Florida, and Paul (& Caroline) Watts of Angola, Indiana; grandchildren Logan Watts, Sam Watts, Wade (& Miranda) Weaver, Weston Weaver, Bailey Schreimann, Marena (& Michael) Crouch, Ian Watts, Thor Watts, and Raven Watts, and a great-grandson, Bridger Crouch; Richard’s son, James (& Roberta) Snivley and family; Ray’s children, David (& Sheri) Sikkenga, Steven (& Lisa) Sikkenga, and Paul (& Terri) Sikkenga; and grandchildren Stephanie, Danny, Matthew, and triplets, Katelynn, Ryan, and Tyler; and Reta’s sister, Glenna (& Kenneth) Webster of Tucson, Arizona and her children, Erich Avery and Krista Avery.
