Alice Byker

Rock Rapids, IA       Alice Byker, age 98 of Rock Rapids, IA died Sunday, February 12, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Society in George, IA.        Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday February 18, 2017 at Christian Reformed Church in Rock Rapids. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery in Rock Rapids.        Visitation will be Friday, February 17th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with family present from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Christian Reformed Church in Rock Rapids, IA.       Alice (Pott) Byker was born to Sam and Jennie (Wykstra) Pott on November 7th, 1918, near Philby, east of Hospers, IA. She grew up in the Hospers area where she graduated from the Hospers Christian School and was a confessing member of the Hospers Christian Reformed Church.      Alice was united in marriage to Gerrit J. Byker on May 23rd, 1945 in her parents’ home north of Hospers. The couple farmed near Alton for 2 years where they started their family. They moved to Rock Rapids in 1948. Gerrit worked other jobs in the area before starting his own feed service in 1956. On February 6th, 1972, Gerrit passed away unexpectedly at the age of 55.      Alice dedicated her life to prayer for her family and friends. She encouraged her children and grandchildren in faith by teaching them scriptural truth and prayer. She sang and encouraged her family to sing. Precious are the memories of her voice, her heartfelt prayers, and her warm hands of care.      Her love for children was displayed in the way that she cared and nurtured the young children of Christian Women’s Club for many years and babysat for multiple families in the community. Alice volunteered as a ‘Shopper for the Shut-ins’ for 23 years. Alice was a member of Rock Rapids Christian Reformed Church.      In the early hours of February 12th, 2017, Alice was united with Christ. During the hours preceding her death, she was surrounded by family, singing, and praying together.       Alice is survived by her sons John A. (Kathy) Byker of Fulton, IL; Gerald J. “Ged” Byker of Omaha, NE; and daughter Sheryl “Shar” (Greg) Dengler of Rock Rapids, IA; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; sister Christine (Pott) Menning of Orange City, IA; sisters-in-law Thelma (VanderPloeg) Pott of Sheldon, IA, Dorothy Byker, Margaret Byker and brother-in-law Loren (Myra) Renkema all of Michigan; and many nephews and nieces.       Alice was reunited in glory with her infant daughter Sandra Jane; her parents Sam and Jennie Pott; her beloved husband Gerrit; her sister Wilhelmina Pott; her sisters and their husbands Martha and Ralph Stuit, Gertie and Henry Cuperus, Wilma and John Modderman; a brother, Pete Pott; brother-in-law Harold Menning; sisters-in-law and husbands Helen and Lambert Smitter, Katherine and Robert VanderBok, Stevena and John Scholten, Elizabeth and James Jansen, Dorothy and Gerald Van Manen; sister-in-law Bette Renkema; brothers-in-law Rev. John J. Byker and Eugene Byker.