Arvin Tap

Arvin Tap, age 89, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away due to complications of prostate cancer on Monday, April 29, 2024. Arvin L. Tap was born in Grand Rapids on March 22, 1935, to Hilbert Tap and Janet M. Tap. When Arvin was a teenager, the family relocated to Byron Center where his father began farming a 60-acre plot. Arvin graduated from Byron Center High School in 1953. After graduation, he began working at the Diesel Equipment Division of General Motors. Shortly after high school, Arvin met the love of his life, Pearl M. Potter. The couple was married on June 24, 1955. The couple established a home in Grandville and remained in the Grandville area for their entire married life. During their marriage, Arvin and Pearl raised four children.

In the late 1960s, Arvin established Fastco Industries with his partner, Stephen Frantz. The business grew fast enough to allow Arvin to leave General Motors in March of 1970. Arvin spent the next 40 years building and growing Fastco Industries. Even after his official retirement in 2010, he continued to spend his mornings at Fastco, overseeing, advising, and counseling.

While Fastco consumed much of Arvin’s time, he still found time to devote himself to several organizations during the course of his life. He was a longtime member of the board of The Potter’s House Christian School. In his later years, he became involved in the 70X7 Life Recovery organization, a group that is dedicated to successful reentry into society of men and women coming home from prison. In addition to these organizations, Arvin was often involved in the affairs of his local church congregation, frequently serving on church councils and committees. Arvin viewed his work in these organizations as an extension of his faith in Jesus Christ and his obligation to use his resources to improve the lives of others.

An avid outdoorsman, particularly in his younger years, Arvin enjoyed fishing, small game hunting, and deer hunting. For over forty years, Arvin spent two weeks at the same spot in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where a group of his buddies gathered for the annual hunt. With his wife, Pearl, Arvin also enjoyed traveling. During the course of their marriage, Arvin and Pearl made several trips to Europe, Asia, Mexico, and Australia.

Arvin was preceded in death by his parents, Hilbert and Janet M. Tap; his parents-in-law, H. Harold and Hilda Potter; and his beloved wife, Pearl M. Potter Tap. He is survived by his children: Bruce A. Tap (Brenda), Beth H. Huizinga (Timothy), Brian J. Tap (Diana), and Brent D. Tap (Laska Nygaard); grandchildren: Megan M. Mulder (Ross), Derek J. Huizinga (Rachael), Bethany J. Tap-Howell (Clarissa), Kathleen N. Tap, Nathaniel B. Tap, L. Henry Nygaard Tap, and Lucia C. Nygaard Tap; great-grandchildren: Bennett, Faye, and Van Mulder, Alexander, Gregory, Nicolas, and William Tap-Howell, and Hayden Munson; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Gordon and Doreen Potter, Clare and Gwen Potter, and Roger and Dawn Cornell. Arvin is also survived by his special friend, Sharon Walcott.

The family will receive visitors at Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf Funeral Home, 4145 Chicago Dr. SW, Grandville, from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Services will be held on Friday, May 3, at Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, 4375 Ivanrest Ave. SW, Grandville, at 11:00 a. m. with the Reverend James Liske officiating. The family will also greet visitors one hour before the service at the church on Friday. The burial will take place at Grandville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to The Potter’s House Christian School or 70x7 Life Recovery.

The service will be livestreamed and can be viewed via this link: https://vimeo.com/event/4276450