Obituary of Joyce Brower

Joyce Elaine Brower, daughter of Gerrit and Gradda (Veldhuizen) Tien, was born October 17, 1933 in Prairie View, KS. She lived her youth in Prairie View, where she attended the Prairie Queen Country School, graduating from Prairie View High School. In 1951, Joyce moved to Iowa to help her older sister with her first child. She then remained in northwest Iowa where she worked at the Marvin Walvoord farm. Joyce would bring lunch to the threshers, and always smiled at a young gentleman by the name of Kenneth, who would later become her husband. Joyce and Kenneth Brower were married at the Luctor Christian Reformed Church in Prairie View, KS on February 17, 1954. The couple moved to Sheldon, IA where Joyce worked at the telephone office. They then moved to a farm near Sanborn, and later purchased a home in town. In December 1966, Joyce was employed as a Food Service Supervisor at the Prairie View Nursing Home. In 1992, she became the Food Service Supervisor at Prairie View Manor. She retired in 2006, after 40 years of service to Prairie View. Joyce spent the majority of her life cooking and preparing good food for everyone to enjoy. She had a great talent for baking pies, bars and cookies; displaying them in her special way for parties and gatherings at Prairie View, as well as for her own family. Her delicious potato salad and molded mints were served up many times at weddings, graduations, and family events. Joyce loved her family very much and especially treasured the time spent with her 5 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She always enjoyed their music programs and sporting events. Joyce was also an avid reader and Word-Search enthusiast. She liked collecting cook books and Avon bottles, watching TV game shows, and working counted cross-stitch projects. She was an excellent seamstress, sewing and mending many things for her family. Joyce was a thoughtful, caring person; always remembering others with a card for their special day or just a kind word. Joyce and Ken, sitting outside on their front porch, drinking iced tea, was a familiar scene to many of us. They talked to anyone who walked by, and waited anxiously for the grandkids to bike home from the pool so Grandpa and Grandma could fill them up with Hostess Twinkies, Snowballs and Oreo cookies. In her retirement years, Joyce loved to take short drives around town with Ken, and go out to eat. She particularly enjoyed Saturday morning breakfast with her family and friends. She had a deep love for her home state of Kansas. The highlight each year was returning to Kansas in June to celebrate her Mother's birthday. Joyce went back for her last and final time on June 7, 2013 for her Mom's 106th birthday. She had such a wonderful time with her Mom and all her brothers and sisters. In Joyce's 7-month battle with bone marrow cancer, leukemia and kidney failure (taking dialysis three times a week), she never complained about her condition, but was always more concerned about others. Joyce and Kenneth moved to Prairie View Inn on October, 2011, where she resided until the time of her death. Those left to cherish her memory are her husband of 59 years, Kenneth; her mother, Gradda Tien of Phillipsburg, KS; one son, Don (Rhonda) Brower, and granddaughter, Emma of Sanborn, IA; one daughter, Donna (Larry) Anderson of Worthington, MN; 5 grandchildren: Miranda Brower of Sibley, IA, Carrie (Nathan) Bakker and their 7 children of Hills, MN, Angela (Ryan) Van Beek and their 8 children, James Brower, LeeAnn (Ryan) McDaniel all of Sanborn, IA; 2 brothers: Arlo Gale (Carolyn) Tien of Prairie View, KS, Edward (Barb) Tien of Phillipsburg, KS; 5 sisters: Henrietta Van Kooten of Long Island, KS, Marie Bousema of Worthington, MN, Dorothy (Jerry) Huyser of Urbandale, IA, Rosalie Verhoef of Artesaia, CA, Carmen Van Beek of Boyden, IA; sister-in-law, Thelma Tien of Sheldon, IA; brother-in-law, Roger (Beverly) Brower of Sioux City, IA; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by an infant son, Rodney Allen Brower; her father, Gerrit Tien; 2 brothers: Arvid and Theron Tien; 4 brothers-in-law: Alfred Van Kooten, Herman Verhoef, John Bousema and Wayne Van Beek. The family requests memorial tributes be directed to Iowa Hospice and area libraries. Funeral Service 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 29, 2013 First Reformed Church - Sanborn, Iowa Clergy - Rev. Gary Hegstad Pastor Alan Salwei Organist - Gayle VanderWoude Special Music Harriet Van Veldhuizen and Jeane Van Veldhuizen "Remind Me, Dear Lord" Great-Grandchildren - "Jesus Loves Me" Diane Odens and Jen, Olivia, Alyssa, Erica, Angela Bousema "On Eagles' Wings" Processional - "I Will Rise" Congregational Singing "It Is Well" #705 Recessional - "He Leadeth Me" #690 Pallbearers Nathan Bakker Ryan Van Beek Arlo Gale Tien James Brower Edward Tien Jerry Huyser Honorary Pallbearers Joyce's and Ken's 16 great-grandchildren Ushers John Haack - Galen Beyer Rich Vanden Hoek - Glenn Grooters Interment Roseland Cemetery - Sanborn, Iowa