George Braaksma

Sibley, IA George Braaksma, Sr. age 94 of Sibley, IA died Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at Sibley Nursing & Rehab Center in Sibley, IA. Family and friends will gather at Jurrens Funeral Home in Sibley at 12:15 PM Monday, March 19th and process to the Holman Township Cemetery for committal. There will be military honors by the George E. Mudge American Legion Post No. 324 and the William F. Allard VFW Post No. 7373. Memorial service will be 2:00 PM, Monday, March 19th at the Sibley Senior Citizen Center in Sibley, IA. Time for food and fellowship will follow the service. Visitation will be Sunday, March 18th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Sibley. George Braaksma, Sr. was born on March 13, 1918 in Platte, SD, the son of August and Ietje (vander Ploeg) Braaksma. He attended school in Platte, SD and Crookston, MN. George heard and responded to the Gospel before serving four years in the U.S. Army as a Medical Technician in the Sixth Infantry Division in the Pacific Theater of World War II. On January 15, 1946, George was united in marriage to Johanna Rosenthal in Hastings, MI. The couple moved to a farm near Allendorf, Iowa, where they lived and raised their family. They retired in 1979 and moved to a home in Sibley, IA. In May of 2010, George and Johanna moved to the Viola House in Sibley. In July of 2010, they entered the Sibley Nursing and Rehab Center in Sibley, where Johanna passed away on October 5, 2011. Georges faith was very important to him and he served as a church elder with the fellowship meeting in their home for many years. George had a love of family and was always thoughtful of others. He was honored to sponsor his cousin, John Koolstra, to enable his immigration from The Netherlands. Another special relationship was with Shinichi Eki Ishikawa, a Japanese soldier that he met during the war, with whom he reunited with fifty years later. George was a past President of the Allendorf Cooperative Elevator Board for many years. He had also served as a member of the Sibley Historical Society. He enjoyed collecting things like postcards, stamps and making scrap books. He edited a publication about the Osceola County Veterans. He had a gift of common sense that he acquired through life lessons. George is survived by his children, August Braaksma, Dianne (Roger) Birkhofer, Patricia (Bob) Dreesen, Mary (Don) Braasch, Gloria (Randy) Bartlett, George Jr. (Margie) Braaksma, Bonita (Tim) Thomas, Betty (Tim) Kellen, and Barbara (Joel) Bosma; twenty grandchildren; twenty-one great-grandchildren; one sister, Margaret (John) Ver Beek of Rock Rapids, IA; three sisters-in-law, Anna Braaksma of Sibley, IA, Edna Braaksma of Sheldon, IA and Annie Stadel of DeWitt, Michigan; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Johanna; infant son, Arnold; infant daughter, Marjorie; sister, Lucy Steen; and two brothers, Jake and Gerard Braaksma.