Invite to be grandparents led to a big family
Orland Park couple suddenly had 11 bonus grandkids
There is nothing like the love between a grandmother and her grandchildren.
So it was all the better for Renee Voss when she gained 11 bonus grandchildren 20 years ago.
The saga started one Sunday at Ashburn Baptist Church in Orland Park.
“There was a large family, the Jast family, that always sat in front of us,” said Voss, a resident at Smith Crossing in Orland Park. “One Sunday after the sermon, one of the youngest daughters, Jorrie, asked if I was a grandma. When I told her yes, she asked if I would be her grandmother.”
So Renee and her husband, Don Voss, who had two grandchildren of their own, instantly became grandparents to 11 more kids. They started going to the Jast home for dinner in Homer Glen.
“We really got to know them, we would play games and spend Christmas with them. I’m still giving presents,” she said with a laugh.
The Vosses have spent holidays, birthdays, weddings and more making memories with the Jast family, taking each of the children separately for their birthdays out to eat and a trip to a toy store.
“The kids began to call us grandma and grandpa,” Voss said. “Having these kids love us back, we became part of their family.”
The Jast kids now are adults and have spread out across the country. Two of the daughters, Joanna Jast Marquis, who lives near Peoria, and Jeanette Jast Thinakaran, who lives in Orland Park, are in constant contact with their adopted grandparents.
But since the onset of the pandemic last year, Voss hasn’t been able to have physical contact with them.
“I miss them all terribly,” Voss said. On her iPad that
she carries with her everywhere, there are photos and videos of her adopted grandchildren, and now their children.
But Mother’s Day will be a little different this year.
The Vosses will celebrate in their apartment at Smith Crossing, but some of the Jast kids will be stopping by to drop off chocolate and a card.
“In the past years, I have been highly honored for Mother’s Day by the family,” Voss said. “I can’t wait to hug each one of them.”
Jeanette Jast Thinakaran had moved back to Orland Park and was able to reconnect with the Vosses. One of her favorite memories as a young girl is when Grandma Renee would take her to the
American Girl Doll store on her birthday.
“They have always treated us like their own grandkids” she said. “I love them so much. They are the only living grandparents that I have. Not everyone can be close to their grandparents.
“It’s been a great relationship. I care for her and I know she cares for me.”
Jeanette and her husband, Praveen, welcomed their first son last year, and the Vosses are now great grandparents to Gio.
“Before COVID, my husband and I would go visit for lunch and play games once a week with them. They are my grandparents,” Thinakaran said. “Grandma and Grandpa Voss are everything to me.”
When Joanna Jast Marquis got married, Renee and Don Voss were a huge part of the wedding. “They were even listed in the wedding program as the grandparents,” Marquis said.
“Forme,it’sbeenwonderful to have her love and support through getting married and having my kids. She always wants to hear how my kids are doing. She has invested into our lives,” she said.
Before the pandemic, Renee and Don Voss would travel to Peoria and spend a few days with Marquis and her family.
“We make cookies and gingerbread houses at Christmas, my kids just love it” Marquis said. “It’s very nice to have grandparents that care and take the time
and it’s also great for my kids to have that relationship.
“The blood relationship part is not as important as the bond that God gave to us. We have a strong bond and a love that can’t be broken. The biological part is not an issue.”
One memory stands out for Marquis: “One time she brought over all her dolls so that my daughters could play with her. She got down on the floor and played with the. That was special for them as it was for her, it was so heartwarming watching them play together.”
Marquis can’t wait until she and her family can see Grandma and Grandpa Voss in person again.
“It’s been hard not being able to visit or be able to come to my house because of COVID,” she said. “We won’t be able to see her for Mother’s Day but hopefully soon, we’ll be able to get together soon in person.” After all, they’re family. “It’s a huge blessing God put her into our lives,” Marquis said. “We’ve been close for so long that she and grandpa have been with us for most of our history.”
Voss now has 25 honorary great grandchildren.
“I love each and every one of them, I pray for them all the time” Voss said. “I’d be very sad without them. They keep me going and they truly love me.”