Evelyn M. Vreeman

     Evelyn Vreeman, age 89, of Sioux Center, Iowa died Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at Sioux Center Health in Sioux Center.  

     A Celebration of Evelyn’s Life will be held at 1:30PM on Friday, August 19, 2022 at Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa with Reverend Duane Tinklenberg officiating. A double inurnment ceremony at Memory Gardens Cemetery for both Gerald and Evelyn is planned for 1pm on Friday.  

     More information regarding the date and time of these services will be shared when they become available.

      Evelyn Marie (Hooyer) Vreeman, died Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at Sioux Center Health following complications from a stroke.  She was born on Feb 1, 1933, in Sioux Center, Iowa, to Dutch immigrants Teunis and Antje "Anne" (Meendering) Hooyer.  She was the youngest of 11 children.

     Evelyn attended country school and graduated from Sioux Center High School.  She earned her teaching degree at Northwestern College and taught grades 1-4 at Orange City Christian School for a couple of years.  She married the love of her life, Gerald John Vreeman, on December 27, 1951, while he was on leave from the military.  She always loved to tell everyone that it was so cold and snowy on the day they were married that they received over 20 blankets as wedding presents.  Evelyn and Gerald lived in Minnesota and the Sioux Center area for 13 years, adding two sons and two daughters to their family.  After learning of a good job opportunity for Gerald, they moved their family to Quincy, WA, in 1964, adding one more son to complete the family.

     Over the years, not only was Evelyn a member of the Quincy Christian Reformed Church, where she was active in the ladies’ society and bible studies for many years, served as a Calvinette Counselor, a Sunday School teacher, and sometimes played the piano.  She also worked as a cook and waitress at the Winchester Sales Barn, was a substitute teacher, a line-worker at Lamb Westin, a waitress at the Winchester Drive-In, and a Cook for the Quincy Senior Center.  Evelyn’s house was always filled with love, books, magazines, music, laughter, mischief, chocolate chip cookies, and plenty of good home cooked meals.  Sunday afternoons always meant either family roast dinners after church, followed by her sitting and playing the piano while her beloved Gerald stood behind her and they sang hymns together, or packing up the kids in the car to go exploring on long Sunday drives.  In 1994, Evelyn and Gerald moved to Wenatchee, WA, where they enjoyed their retirement years spoiling their kids, grandkids, and especially all of their great grandchildren.  Anyone who had the pleasure of spending any amount of time with Evelyn knew there was always enough room at the table for one more.

     In 2019, following Gerald's death four years earlier, Evelyn returned to Sioux Center to live, and where she renewed her membership with the Bethel Christian Reformed Church, the same church where she had been baptized, confessed her faith, and where she had been married.  She was blessed to have lived her final years surrounded by the love and support of family members from both the Hooyer and Vreeman clans, and her many friends both old and new.

     Evelyn is survived in death by her children Steve (Judy) Vreeman, Jerry (Darci) Vreeman, Mary (Shane) Livingston, Ruth Koopman, Daniel (Julie) Vreeman, 12 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, one great-great-granddaughter, sisters-in-law and brothers-in law, Lois Hooyer, Fran TerWisscha, Marv (Ruby) Vreeman, Joan (Stan) Kroese, Marlys (Dale) Vanderiet, John (Linda) Vreeman, Jan Vreeman, Jim (Gen) Zuidema, Marty Shockley, and Elaine Vreeman.

     She was preceded in death by her parents Teunis and Antje "Anne" (Meendering) Hooyer, husband Gerald Vreeman, unnamed stillborn daughter, son-in-law Gary Koopman, siblings Marion "Mike" (Dena) Hooyer, Gertrude Hooyer, Henrietta (Harold) Sealey, twins Albert John "Al" (Florence) Hooyer and John Albert "Johnny" (Wilmina) Hooyer, Henry "Hank" (Eleanor) Hooyer, Emma (Elmer) Saarloos, Esther (Ray) Vander Lugt, Tony Hooyer, Anna Mae Jasper, in-laws John and Julia (Hollander) Vreeman, sisters-in law and brothers-in law Dennis Vreeman, Clayton (Inez) Vreeman, Dorothy Shockley, Gladys Zuidema, Gerald TerWisscha, Harvey Slagter, and Bill Rens.