Orange City officials have renamed Puddle Jumper Park to Woudstra Family Park, recognizing nearly five decades of public service by members of the Woudstra family.
For 49 of the past 55 years, at least one Woudstra has served on the Orange City City Council — including James (Jim) Woudstra (1964–1974), Leroy Woudstra (1976–1994), and Earl Woudstra (1999–2019). Earl, who has served as the Orange City City Manager for the past six years, talks about his family receiving the acknowledgement.
In addition to his time on the council and as city manager, Earl Woudstra also served as the city’s Park and Recreation Director for 10 years, making the park dedication especially meaningful.
Woudstra also spent 36 years on staff at Northwestern College, where he spent time as the women’s tennis coach and, most notably, the women’s basketball coach, leading the Raiders to four national titles. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year each of those years and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2012. During his tenure, he also served as Northwestern’s Assistant Director of Athletics and served as the Director of Athletics from 2014 to 2019.
Woudstra says Orange City has been a meaningful part of his family’s story.
Officials say the renaming reflects both the park’s evolution into a vibrant community space and the city’s appreciation for the Woudstra family’s long legacy of civic leadership. Woudstra says this recognition wouldn’t have been possible without the support of so many in the community.
The move follows a similar honor given to the Dunlop Wildlife Area, named after former Mayor Robert Dunlop. Current Orange City Mayor Deb De Haan, Dunlop’s daughter, has served in that position since 2014. The shelterhouse area at the park was recently completed and is now open for public use.
The featured photo is courtesy of the City of Orange City.
