Obituary of William DeBoom

William “Bill” DeBoom, the son of Adrian and Alice (VanDam) DeBoom, was born July 12, 1912, in Gouda, the Netherlands. When he was eleven months old the family moved to America and settled in the Archer, Iowa area. His father died when Bill was in the eighth grade. He completed that school year in Archer and then moved with his mother and several siblings to the Hartley, Iowa area. He graduated from Hartley High School in 1929. His mother and family continued to farm near Hartley. On October 24, 1934, Bill married Zenna Meylink in Sanborn, Iowa. They became the parents of five children. Two of the children died while they were very young; Alice Kae in 1950, at the age of nine, and David Paul in 1953, when he was one year old. On April 10, 1941, Bill proudly became a naturalized American citizen. That same year, he and his wife and daughter moved to Sioux County, Iowa. Upon the retirement of his mother, they returned to Hartley where he farmed with his brother, Fred until 1962. They then moved to a farm near Primghar, IA. Bill was a dedicated farmer and was named the Quad State Conservation Winner in Farming in 1971. He belonged to the Reformed churches in the areas in which he lived, and served on the consistory of the First Reformed Church of Sanborn and the American Reformed Church of Primghar. He also served on various community committees and was a former board member of the O’Brien County Funeral Association. Following their retirement from farming in 1979, Bill and Zenna moved into a home in Primghar. They later lived in Sanborn and Sheldon. They enjoyed taking several trips during the winter months. During this time Bill developed the hobby of woodworking. Many family members and friends now cherish some of the beautiful and useful pieces that he crafted. He enjoyed spending time with his family, and looked forward to visiting and playing cards with friends. On May 30, 2007, while the couple was living at the Prairie View Manor in Sanborn, Zenna passed away suddenly. Bill remained on the Prairie View Campus—first moving to Assisted Living, and eventually to the Nursing Home. He passed away there on Saturday, September 17, 2011, having reached the age of 99 years, 2 months and 5 days. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; two children; granddaughter, Dawn Marie Douma; great-granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Kurth; two siblings who died prior to the family moving to America; six brothers: Adrian, Peter, Cornelius, Marinus, Fred and Anthony; and five sisters: Ann, Alice, Gertrude, Nellie and Wilma. He is survived by daughters, Darlene (Garry) Sampson and Delores (Brad) Douma, and son William R. (Sherri) DeBoom; nine grandchildren: Katie DeKok (Larry Jamison), Barb (Russ) Krull, Terry (Fred) Kurth, Yvonne (Richard) Verdoorn, Deanna (Greg) Etherington, Amy Douma (David Sawchuck), Debi Douma, Timothy (Lisa) DeBoom and Elizabeth (Scott) Swartz; 17 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-grandchildren; 2 sisters-in-law; a brother-in-law; many nieces and nephews. In loving memory of William DeBoom Born ~ July 12, 1912 Died ~ September 17, 2011 Age ~ 99 years 2 months 5 days Funeral Service 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 23, 2011 First Reformed Church Sanborn, Iowa Officiating ~ Pastor Gary Hegstad Organist ~ Jill Dykstra Pianist ~ Judy Dykstra Duet ~ Harriet Van Veldhuizen & Jeane Van Veldhuizen “It is Well with My Soul” “Great is Thy Faithfulness” Congregational Singing “Amazing Grace” “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” “Blessed Assurance” Pallbearers Katie DeKok Barb Krull Terry Kurth Yvonne Verdoorn Deanna Etherington Amy Douma Debi Douma Timothy DeBoom Elizabeth Swartz Ushers Archie Van Ravenswaay Rod Jocobsma Burial Roseland Cemetery Sanborn, Iowa