Faith Neiville Gorter

FAITH NEVILLE GORTER was born to the Reverend Howard E. and Mary Brawley Anderson on June 17, 1926 in Landour Mussoorie, India. Landour is a small town near the city of Dehradun in the Punjab region of northern India, in the foothills of the majestic Himalayan Mountains. Both of Faith's parents served as Presbyterian missionaries in India for over 30 years. Her three brothers: Howard, Bruce, and Dave, preceded her in death. Faith is also preceded by the passing of her loving husband of 67 years, Jacobus (Jack) Gorter, a native of Terschelling, Netherlands. Her beloved Jack died on March 15, 2016. Jacobus' three siblings also preceded Faith's passing, thus making her the last survivor of a generation of two families joined by divine providence and the lasting love and adoration of Faith and Jacobus. They met on an oceangoing ship carrying Faith and her mother from India to the United States. Jacobus was a ships officer who had served with distinction in the Dutch Merchant Marines for the Allied Forces during all of World War II. Faith and Jacobus instantly fell in love—a true shipboard romance—and had their first ‘date' on solid ground in Alexandria, Egypt. They were married in the Netherlands on November 18, 1948 then moved to the United States. Faith is survived by three children: Antje Harris, of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gerrit Gorter (Kim) also of Little Rock, and Jane Manley, of Garland, Texas; four granddaughters: Dehra Harris, Anna Gorter, Mary Gorter, and Lindsey Triplett (Peter); and three greatgrandchildren, Jadyn Glueck, Gavin Glueck, and Lily Triplett. No words could capture Faith's wondrous life on Earth. Her unforgettable story is written in the hearts of all who loved her. Faith, whose very name captures her essence, was the personification of silent bravery and modest elegance. Faith was fluent in English, Dutch, Hindi, and Urdu. She graciously yielded her own higher education to serve in the honorable role of housewife and mother. She was quite simply the best Mom in the world. Mom read voraciously until God gradually replaced her eyesight with the all-seeing eye of the Holy Spirit. Faith understood the physical world as well as the ways of the heart and the path to heaven. She worshipped Jesus and his message, and chastised the hypocrites and pretenders who were quick to judge and slow to forgive. One of Faith's earliest quotes is: "Why are there so many homeless people and so many empty churches?" That question was burned into her soul as she lived amid lepers and beggars on the streets of India. A visitation and viewing will be held on Sunday, April 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth Funeral Home, 5800 W. 12th St., Little Rock, Arkansas. A memorial service to honor Faith's irrepressible spirit will be held at 10:00 Monday, April 16 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 4501 Rahling Road, in Little Rock, where Faith and Jack were members. A brief interment ceremony will be held at 1:00 on Tuesday, April 17 at Forest Hills Cemetery, 10200 Hwy 5 N, Alexander Arkansas, where her physical body will eternally rest just above Jacobus, until time erodes the wood and soil between them and their dust blows as one in the wind. Please acknowledge Faith's neighbors and caregivers at Brookdale Senior Living, 1 Chenal Heights Drive, in Little Rock—her home for the past four years—with appreciation of all forms. Then step outside and gaze to the heavens to see Faith smile and look back with perfect vision. To sign the online guestbook, go to www.griffinleggetthealeyroth.com.