John Harvey Roelfs

Ashton, Iowa John H. Roelfs, age 87 of Ashton, Iowa died Monday, March 17, 2008 at the Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley. Funeral services will 10:30 AM, Thursday, March 20th at First Reformed Church in Sibley, IA, with Rev. Gary Van Heukelom officiating. Burial will follow at the Gilman Township Cemetery at Ashton, IA. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 19th from 2 " 8 PM, with the family present from 6 " 8 PM at First Reformed Church in Sibley. John Roelfs, the son of son of Bohla and Harmke (Groote) Roelfs, was born on September 26, 1920 at the family farm near Ashton, Iowa. He grew up on the farm and attended Goeway Township No. 9 rural school. Following that he attended two years of high school at Ashton. He was united in marriage to Hilda Van Kley on January 1, 1948 at her parents farm near Sibley, Iowa. They began their married life on the family farm southeast of Ashton where John had lived his entire life. As a devout farmer, John was always healthy and active and therefore enjoyed helping with the farm work. It brought him great pleasure to help prepare for the planting season in the spring and the harvest season in the fall. John was able to drive the combine for the soybean and corn harvests last fall. He took great pride in keeping a neat farm place and always worked to keep things in good repair. John enjoyed driving around the countryside to see what was going on, having coffee in town with his friends and watching his grandchildren grow into young adults. He especially looked forward to his grandchildrens visits. John was a member of the First Reformed Church of Sibley. His earthly life came to a close on March 17, 2008 at the Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley. Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 60 years, Hilda; two sons, Bruce (Gayle) Roelfs of Sanborn, IA, and Marlin Roelfs of Ashton; four grandchildren, Kristi (Jon) Johnson, Storden, MN, David (Joy) Roelfs, Long Island, NY, Nate (Megan) Roelfs, Urbandale, IA, and Nadine Roelfs, Nanchung, China; one great-grandson, William Roelfs; and one sister, Ruth Olson, Aurora, CO. John was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Elmer, Ralph, Walter, and Bruce; and two sisters, Luetta Addengast and Martha Roths.