Margaret Voortman

Margaret Voortman, 96, of Sioux Center, IA died Thursday, July 3, 2014, at Pleasant Acres Care Center in Hull, IA. A visitation with the family present will be held on Tuesday from 10-11AM at the First Reformed Church of Sioux Center. A funeral service will be held Tuesday at 11:00AM in the Chapel of First Reformed Church of Sioux Center with Rev. Travis Else officiating. Interment will follow the funeral service in Memory Gardens Cemetery of Sioux Center. The family prefers memorials to Hope Haven, Rock Valley, IA. Margaret (Kroon) Voortman was born September 29, 1917, in Sioux Center, Iowa to Henry and Hattie (Van Roekel) Kroon. Margaret was the seventh of twelve children in the Kroon family. She attended country school from primary through the eighth grade. Margaret began doing housework and babysitting for families in the vicinity as well as helping with mending and sewing at home. Each year she sewed new dresses for two of her younger sisters to wear to the Sunday school picnic. Margaret and her sister, Cornelia, also worked in the fields picking corn by hand. Margaret loved music. She and her sister, Bernice sang together accompanied by Margaret on the guitar. Margaret played the piano by ear and also played the accordion. Margaret married Manus Voortman on March 11, 1939 at Carmel, Iowa. They farmed in the Orange City and Sioux Center area until 1959 when they moved to California where they owned and operated a chicken ranch until Manus died in 1967. On March 29, 1968 she married Merenus Voortman, her first husband's brother. Merenus and Margaret retired in Norco, California. Merenus preceded Margaret in death in October of 1982. In 1990, Margaret returned to Sioux Center. She was able to live on her independently until she was 92 years old. In December of 2009 she moved into assisted living at Franken Manor; she became a resident of Pleasant Acres Care Center in Hull in January of 2011. Margaret is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Arlone and Wilbur Vos of Sioux Center; sister, Clarene Kroon of Sioux Center; brother and sister-in-law, Rev. William and Marguerite Kroon of Hampton, IA and several nieces and nephews. Margaret is also survived by Merenus' three daughters and sons-in-law: Evelyn and Ron Bajema, Mildred and John Hoekstra and Diane and Dennis Van Zee all of Rock Valley and four sisters-in-law: Johanna Voortman of Sioux Center, Gertrude Voortman of Chino, CA, Nellie Voortman of Visalia, CA and Gertrude Voortman of Escalon, CA. Margaret was preceded in death by her husbands, Manus Voortman and Merenus Voortman; her parents; brothers and sisters-in-law: Neal and Wilhelmina Kroon, Gerrit and Mary Kroon, Richard and Anna Kroon; sisters, Marilyn Kroon and Cornelia Kroon; sisters and brothers-in-law: Gertrude and Peter Punt, Della and Henry Van De Berg, Bernice and Henry Baker.