Ervin Loyd Hibma

Harris & Ocheyedan, IA 

     Ervin Hibma age 87 of Worthington, MN, formerly of rural Harris, IA passed away Sunday, November 21, 2021, surrounded by his wife and family at Golden Horizons in Worthington.

     Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 30^th at the Christian Reformed Church in Ocheyedan, with Reverend Tom De Does officiating.      Livestream Link Ervin Hibma Funeral Service

     Burial will follow at the Ocheyedan Township Cemetery in Ocheyedan.

     Visitation will be Monday, November 29^th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Christian Reformed Church in Ocheyedan.        

     Ervin Loyd Hibma was born on January 16, 1934. He was the youngest of 10 children born to parents Nick and Anna (Jansma) Hibma of rural Harris, IA, and was the only one born in the hospital, weighing in at 13 lbs. He attended Harris Elementary, graduated from Harris High School, and later attended Northwestern Jr. College in Orange City, IA.

     Ervin married Viola Zevenbergen on June 15, 1954, at the Christian Reformed Church in Ocheyedan, IA. They started their married life together living in a guest house on the family farm north of Harris. They soon moved a ¼ mile south to a small house on 80 acres which they rented and where they got their start in farming. After a few years, they relocated to rent a farm just east, which they later purchased and lived on for over 60 years. Ervin farmed from age 20 to 80 before retiring.

     You could define Ervin’s passions with 4 F’s: faith, family, farming, and fishing. These things are what brought him joy and fulfillment in life, his faith being the foremost. His desire to teach and impact lives for Christ was evident in all he did.

     It can be safely assumed that if Ervin wasn’t in the tractor, he was probably fishing. He loved fishing any season and especially alongside family, friends, and neighbors.

     While farming and fishing kept him busy, his children’s activities were also important to him and he enjoyed watching their many sporting events, plays, and concerts and later his grandchildren’s as well. During his free time at home, he enjoyed reading and watching sports on TV.

     Ervin was also a member of the Ocheyedan Christian Reformed Church and served on the church Council as an elder and deacon. He was also a Sunday School superintendent and teacher for many years and served 25 years on the Classis Home Missions Committee. He was active in Bible studies and evangelism outreach and was involved in the M-2 Prison Ministry in Sioux Falls for 18 years.

     Additionally, Ervin was a school board member of Ocheyedan Christian School and served as President for 6 years of the school board of Faith Christian High School, of which he was one of the founding members.

     He also spent many years serving on the Osceola County Farm Bureau Board. He had a gift of salesmanship and sold many Farm Bureau memberships as well as different items over the years ranging from silos to farm implements to cars.

     Ervin passed away on Sunday, November 21, 2021, surrounded by his wife and family at Golden Horizons in Worthington, MN.

     Ervin is survived by his wife, Viola of Harris; daughter Jolene (Phil) Moe, Sioux Falls, SD; son Bruce (Jennifer) Hibma, Chino, CA; daughter Rosalee Gutschow, Grand Rapids, MI; daughter Valeree (Chris) Jackson, Dell Rapids, SD; daughter Leora (Sheldon) Haas, Sioux Falls, SD; thirteen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

     He was preceded in death by his parents, Nick and Anna, and his siblings Kathryn, Pierce, Marie, Clarence, Leone, Elmer, Don, Ray, and Phyllis.

His favorite Bible verse was:

Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

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