John Karsten, who gave voice to Tulip Time as Holland's town crier for 40 years, dies at 85

HOLLAND — John Karsten, who brought joy to Holland as the city’s town crier for four decades, died Saturday, Aug. 13. He was 85.

Karsten was born in the Netherlands in the province of Overijissel. He served with the Dutch Marines before immigrating to the United States in 1957. By 1967, he found his way to Holland and was invited to participate in a Dutch Heritage Show.

Karsten was asked to become Holland’s town crier in 1979 and enthusiastically took the role. He served for 40 years. Karsten was only the fourth person to ever serve as town crier in Holland. While traveling for competitions, he took pride in making people want to visit Holland for events.

Karsten was the grand marshal for the Tulip Time Muziekparade in 2019, the last festival before his retirement. He is a former president of the American Guild of Town Criers.

He competed in town crier competitions around the world with his wife, Wieda, serving as his escort.

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During the 2019 festival, Karsten also hosted an international town crier competition. Competitors came from Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, among other places.

He was awarded a lifetime membership to the American Guild of Town Criers during the competition. The Ontario Guild of Town Criers commemorated the day to be recognized as John and Weida Karsten Day.

Nancy DeBoer, who was mayor of Holland at the time of Karsten’s retirement, spoke at the festival regarding his role in the community.

“Whenever we've needed some sort of an introduction to a ceremony, we've called on John Karsten,” she said. “He's an icon in our community and will be sorely missed.”

Karsten was preceded in death by his daughter, Frances Ann Groover, in 2020. He is survived by his wife of 65 years; children John Harry Karsten, Elizabeth (Steve) Zeerip, Irene (Eric) Kroll; many grandchildren and great grandchildren; six siblings living in the Netherlands and brother-in-law Andrew (Mary) Huisman.

A visitation take place 4-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, at Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home in Holland. Funeral services are planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at Central Wesleyan Church, where Karsten was a member.

Memorial contributions may be made to Forgotten Man Ministries and Central Wesleyan Church.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch. 

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: John Karsten, Holland's town crier for 40 years, dies at 85