Esther L. Vander Plas, 92, of Le Mars, Iowa passed away on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at Brentwood Good Samaritan Village in Le Mars. Funeral services will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 25, 2016 at Rejoice! Community Church in Le Mars. Pastor Mike Metten will officiate. Burial will take place at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at Graceland Cemetery in Pella, Iowa. Esther’s Son, Pastor Kevin L. Vander Plas, will officiate the burial. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at Rejoice! Community Church. The family will be present from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. There will also be one hour of visitation at the church prior to the service on Monday.
Esther Lura Kooi was born on September 24, 1923 in Sioux County, Iowa, the daughter of Benart and Lura (Brown) Kooi. When she was 12 years old, her family moved west of Lebanon, Iowa to the Kooi home place. Esther attended two different country schools. She attended high school in Sioux Center where she stayed in four different homes. She had to stay in town during the week and was very homesick at first. Following that, she earned her teaching certificate at Westmar College in Le Mars and taught for three years before marrying Elmer Roy Vander Plas on June 6, 1946 in Pella, Iowa. Elmer passed away in 1980.
Esther kept busy working many different occupations throughout her life including housekeeping, teaching, bookkeeping, meat packaging, stationary clerk and was a security mother in Graham Hall at Central College in Pella. Esther enjoyed gardening and canning, crocheting, making puzzles and reading. She also wrote in several round robin letters with family members. She was very active in church singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, catechism, and volunteering to be the church librarian. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend.
Esther will be lovingly remembered by her five children, Carol (Keith) Vanderloo of Merrill, IA, Leyla (Jim) Schrunk of Le Mars, IA, Duane (Julie) Vander Plas of Le Mars, IA, Verla (Bryce) Van Vark of Pella, IA and Kevin (Twila) Vander Plas of Lubbock, TX ; 17 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, 7 great- great grandchildren, and three sisters.
Siblings include Joyce Van Wyk of Pella, IA, Margaret Dickerson of Oskaloosa, IA, Florence Blom of Ellisville, MS, sister-in laws Tillie Kooi of Rock Valley, IA, Sylvia Vander Plas of Sheldon, IA, and Martha Goslinga of Sioux Center, IA.
She is preceded in death by her parents; Bernart and Lura Kooi, husband, Elmer Roy, siblings
Lewis, Earl, and Ruth Kooi, as well as numerous in –laws.
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