Henry Exoo (1911-1982) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

In the brief “In Memoriam” printed in the yearbook of 1983, reference was made to Henry Exoo as “a hard-working pastor.” Rev. Exoo was a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church when congregations, large or small, were served by one pastor who may have had a part-time secretary. There were no team ministries with a full-time secretary.

In addition to his regular pastoral activities in the Sheboygan Christian Reformed Church, Henry was the radio pastor of the Old Time Religion broadcasts on six Wisconsin stations which covered Sheboygan (WKTS and WHBL), Madison, Green Bay, Waukesha, and Plymouth. Moreover, he served on many special classical and synodical assignments.

Henry Exoo was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1911. He studied at Calvin College, Western Reserve University, and Calvin Theological Seminary. The Calvin College annual, the Prism of 1939, described the graduate Henry Exoo as “thoughtful of others. . . . . he reads much and observes men’s words and deeds.”

After ordination, September 24, 1942, Rev. Henry Exoo began his active ministry in Battle Creek, Michigan (1942-1948). The following six years were spent in the First Christian Reformed Church of Fremont, Michigan. The longest period of his ministry, twenty-two years (1954-1976), was in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Through the radio ministry his name became familiar throughout that Wisconsin area.

Rev. Henry Exoo passed away, in his home, after a lengthy illness, May 10, 1982. He was seventy-one years of age. He was married to Bessie M. Jellema. Together they had six children.