Anna M. Boom

Rock Rapids, Iowa Anna M. Boom, age 86 of Rock Rapids, IA died Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at the Sanford Hospital of Rock Rapids. Funeral service will be 10:30 AM, Friday, Oct. 7th at Bethel Reformed Church in Lester, IA, with Rev. Don Baker officiating. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery in Lester. Visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 6th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Rock Rapids. Anna Marie Boom was born on March 27, 1925 to John and Jacoba (Smit) Bouwman on a farm near Alvord, Iowa. A short time later, the family moved to a farm near Lester, IA where she was raised and received her education from Cleveland Township #3 country school completing through the eighth grade. Anna was the oldest daughter in the family after seven sons. As was customary in those days, the girls stayed home to help their neighbor ladies and mothers with the housework and small children. On November 9, 1945, she was united in marriage to Louis Boom in Lester, IA. They lived the majority of their married life on their farm northwest of Lester where her son, Chris, currently lives. She was a life-long member of the Lester Bethel Reformed Church where she made profession of her faith in March 1945. Anna enjoyed taking care of her granddaughters and attending their school events. She and Louis attended many state softball tournaments in Fort Dodge, IA in order to watch their Cope granddaughters play. She also made scrapbooks for her granddaughters that highlighted the activities they participated in at school. She always made time to sit and play Barbies, color pictures, play board games or hide and seek with the kitty figurine. In September 1982, she and Louis moved to Rock Rapids where she enjoyed her retirement years. In October 2006, she entered Lyon Manor Nursing and Rehab Center in Rock Rapids as Louis was unable to care for her any longer in their home. She and Louis were married for 64 ½ years before his death in August 2010. Anna is survived by her son, Clifford (Carrie) Boom of Beaver Creek, MN; daughter, Judy (Wayne) Cope of Carlisle, IA; son, Chris (Carol) Boom of Larchwood, IA; eight granddaughters, Rhonda Meester, Ranae (Jason) Johnson, Jennifer (Adam) Swihart, Penny (Josh) Freeman, Molly Cope, Kimberly Boom, Courtney Boom and Ashley Boom; nine great-grandchildren, Dalton and Ashton Meester, Chase and Sydne Johnson, Ethan, Brady and Connor Swihart and Evan and Noah Freeman; three sisters, Marie Heyman of Alton, IA, Greta Hommes of Rock Rapids, IA and Adrianna (Ray) Snyders of Larchwood, IA; five sisters-in-law, Gertie Bouwman of Rock Rapids, IA, Eileen Bouwman of Luverne, MN, Wilma Bouwman of Lester, IA, Eleanor Bouwman of Akron, IA and LuBertha Boom of Lester, IA; and many nieces and nephews She was preceded in death by her husband, Louis; her parents; and eight brothers, Edward, Thomas, Walter, Marion, Gradus, Dick, Henry and John; and two infant sisters, Mary Jane and Jeannette.