Johanna "Jo" Klarenbeek

Rock Rapids        Johanna “Jo” Klarenbeek age 92 of Rock Rapids died Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at the Rock Rapids Health Centre in Rock Rapids, IA.        Family and friends will gather at the First Reformed Church on Friday, December 15th at 10:00 a.m. for final viewing. A prayer service will start at 11:00 a.m. and then we will travel to Riverview Cemetery for burial prior to the service.      A Celebration of life service will be at 1:00 p.m. Friday, December 15th at the First Reformed Church in Rock Rapids, IA with Rev. Dan Haggar, officiating.        Visitation will be Thursday, December 14th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the First Reformed Church in Rock Rapids.      Johanna Christina Klarenbeek was born December 16, 1924 at a farm between Boyden and Sheldon, Iowa, the daughter of Lenard and Henrietta (Roelofs) Wildeman. She attended country school near Boyden.        She was united in marriage to Cebus Klarenbeek on June 19, 1946 at her parents’ home near Rock Rapids, IA. They moved to a farm north of Rock Rapids, where they farmed until 1961, when they moved to their farm northwest of Rock Rapids and continued farming until Cebus’s death, July 3, 1987. She moved to her home in Rock Rapids. Throughout the years Johanna worked at Van’s Hardware, along with helping her husband with the farming, raised chickens, candling eggs and delivering eggs to area customers. She also worked at kid’s club and volunteered as a foster grandparent at Central Lyon Community Schools until 2010.        She became a member of First Reformed Church at age 13, active with the various church activities, especially the Reformed Church Women and circle, most recently the Joy Circle, a member of Merrill Pioneer Community Hospital Auxiliary, and served as a Foster Grandparent for 15 years, first with the Kids Club and later with the elementary students of Central Lyon. She enjoyed the farming life, music, traveling the U.S. and abroad. She also enjoyed playing cards, Word Search books, gardening, canning, raising chickens. Most of all she cherished the time spent with children and grandchildren.        She is survived by four children, JoAnn (John) House of Rathdrum, ID, Jimmie Lee (Sheila) Klarenbeek of Phoenix, AZ, Henrietta Klarenbeek (Mike Coveyou) of Ames, IA and Gary M. (Julie) Klarenbeek of Auburn, AL; seven grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; sister, Leona Harmsen of Rock Rapids, IA; sisters-in-law, Dena Wildeman of Rock Rapids, IA and Marie Klarenbeek of Luverne, MN; many nieces, nephews and cousins.        She is preceded in death by her parents, Lenard and Henrietta Wildeman; husband, Cebus Klarenbeek; three brothers, William, Henry and Art; and a great-great-grandson, Arthur Melpolder.