Greencroft Communities Stories
Building Faith, Home, and Legacy at Oak Grove
By Nancy Miller
Wilbert “Wilb” Hamstra has lost count of the houses, churches, clinics, supermarkets, and office buildings his company designed and built over the years. The Hamstra Group website keeps track of current numbers — 67 properties, 49 construction projects, and 214 spaces to lease. Even a golf course shows up in the mix.
With 60 years of projects behind him, the one Wilb talks about the most — the one he considers his legacy and the one he calls home — is Oak Grove Christian Retirement Village in DeMotte, Indiana, just a few miles from his hometown
of Wheatfield.
The inspiration for Oak Grove sparked when Wilb’s father became ill and moved into a nursing home.
“The place he was in was not a great place for older people to live,” Wilb remembers. “That motivated me to do something.”
Do something, he did.
He asked his church, First Reformed Church, and its sister church, American Reformed Church, to consider donating land for a building site. They both agreed, so Wilb took the next steps: organizing a board, visiting facilities to learn best practices, and leading fundraising efforts.
“We have to do better by our older people,” he told donors.
The DeMotte community responded, and $3.5 million poured in to begin the project. Wilb put together plans for a retirement center modeled after the Grand Floridian Hotel at Disney World.
“I tried to design the building after that, so the people have, not only a clean and service-oriented atmosphere, but also a beautiful place where they can live,” Wilb wrote in his memoir. “I wanted these people, who had given so much to their families and communities over the years, to have a wonderful place to spend their final years.”
Wilb held one of the shovels at the ceremonial groundbreaking in 1997. Oak Grove opened to residents in January of 2000.
A full circle moment
Twenty-five years later, on January 4, 2025, Wilb and his wife, Peggy, moved
into an apartment at Oak Grove. They had become “these people,” the older folks Wilb pictured living at Oak Grove.
Asked if he ever thought he would one day be a resident when he was designing the village, Wilb answered, “I guess I never even thought about that. I wasn’t thinking about living here one day. I can’t believe I’m old enough to be here now.”
Wilb is 87. But even he needed convincing that it was time.
“It took some persuading,” his daughter, Donna Hamstra, shared.
All four of Wilb and Peg’s children—Donna, Dee Terborg, and sons Greg and Gary Hamstra—sat down with Wilb to make their case for the move. Peg’s health had declined, and she could no longer take care of herself, much less take care of a home. Even with a full-time caregiver, the toll on Wilb and his daughters had become too much.
“It took some persuading,” Wilb admits with a smile.
Dee calls the move to Oak Grove “a full circle moment.”
Wilb’s glad they moved when they did. Sadly, four months later, on May 4, 2025, Peg died from complications of Alzheimer’s.
"My heart is in Oak Grove. It will always mean a lot to me and my family." - Wilbert Hamstra
More Ministry than Project
“I like living here,” Wilb says. “Everyone’s kind, the staff are friendly, and you can feel the Christian influence.”
He can also feel the influence of his family. The Hamstra name shows up on dedication plaques all over the building and grounds.
For several years, Wilb and Peg provided annual support to keep operations flowing when revenues declined. They even used their own resources to cover a significant shortfall in Medicaid reimbursement. The Wilbert & Peg Hamstra Fund, established in 2021, will ensure that no residents will lose their home if they outlive their financial resources.
For the Hamstra family, Oak Grove became more ministry than project. Wilb served as Board Chair for 13 years. Daughter Donna Hamstra began serving on the board in 2019 and continues in that role today.
The family participated in hymn sings every week at Oak Grove, and Peg delivered homemade baked goods to the residents every single day, instructing her daughters to continue the practice when it became too much for her. They did until new healthcare regulations prohibited homemade treats.
The Hamstra Group, now run by son Greg, built two campus additions: the Oak Leaf Rehabilitation Center in 2013 and the Oak Street Memory Care Unit in 2020.
In 2023, Wilb led a fundraising campaign to add an exterior elevator to Oak Street, so the second floor would be more accessible. He and Peg both held shovels at the elevator groundbreaking in 2024, preparing the way for their move a few months later into one of those second-floor apartments.
“My heart is in Oak Grove,” Wilb says. “It will always mean a lot to me and my family.”
Wilb’s family has grown as rapidly as his building projects. His children, grandchildren, and close extended family number 48, with his first great-great grandchild due in December.
Five generations.
Wilb has not lost count. Building his family has been his greatest achievement.
“The smartest decision I ever made was to marry Peg,” he says. “She was the best thing that ever happened to me. She was a gem.”
What’s next for Wilb at Oak Grove?
“I want a corner room,” he says, smiling.