Post, John (1850-1928) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library
John Post was born in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands on April 15, 1850. In 1867 the Post family immigrated to the United States and settled in Allendale, Michigan. In America, the young Post lived on his parent's farm and occasionally worked in a sawmill. Growing up in a spiritual family, Post desired to become a minister. His dreams were put on the back-burner as he married and settled on a farm at the age of twenty-five. When his young wife passed away, Post's desire for ministry became stronger. With encouragement from Professor G.E. Boer, Post left his farm to enroll at Calvin Theological School in 1876, graduating in 1881.
Post's first call to service came from a small, yet growing church called East Street Church of Grand Rapids. During this time he got remarried to the daughter of Rev. R.T. Kuiper. Post went on to serve several other congregations such as Spring Lake, MI (1886-1890); First Kalamazoo, MI (1890-1895); Lamont and Eastmanville, MI (1895-1900); Jamestown, MI (1900-1904); Spring Lake, MI (1904-1909); Cutlerville, MI (1909-1914).
In 1920 Rev. Post took on the challenging, yet rewarding job of being the Spiritual Advisor at Christian Psychopathic Hospital in Cutlerville, MI. He worked closely with the patients and the staff of the hospital providing sermons, visitations, and advocated to the public the needs of the hospital. After eight years at the hospital and thirty-nine years in active ministry, Rev. John Post was struck by a car while crossing the street. Post passed away on January 17, 1928 due to the accident.