Mrs. Harriet Harmelink, age 84, of Orange City, passed away on Tuesday, August 12, 2014, at the Prairie Ridge Care Center in Orange City.
There will be a funeral service on Friday, August 15, at 10:30am, at the First Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. Mark Haverdink will officiate. Interment will follow at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. Visitation will be after 5:00pm on Thursday, with the family present from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.
Harriet was born on October 10, 1929, at Alton, the daughter of Herman J. and Hattie (Van Oort) Vander Maten. She was raised on a farm south of Boyden and attended the Capel Township Country School.
On September 17, 1948, she married Wilbur Gerrit Harmelink at Middleburg. They made their home on a farm northeast of Alton, where she was a homemaker. In 1972, they moved into Orange City. For 27 years they enjoyed spending their winters in Arizona. In November of 2011, she moved to the Heritage House Nursing Home, and later Prairie Ridge Care Center, both in Orange City.
She was a member of the First Reformed Church, where she participated in the Mary Martha Circle, was president of the Women’s Guild, and taught Sunday School classes. She and Wilbur participated in many mission trips through the church.
Harriet enjoyed bowling, painting, writing poetry, baking, playing board games and cards, walking with friends, and spending time with her family.
She is survived by her husband of more than 65 years, Wilbur; three children and their spouses, Dave and Sandy (Bertelsen) Harmelink, of Alton; Deb and John Blom, of Arnolds Park; and Sher and Gene Hiemstra, of Sioux Center; seven grandchildren and their spouses, Cristi (Harmelink) and Reese Kelch, of Orange City; Nikki (Harmelink) and Dave Heying, of Granville; Jeremy and Morgan Blom, of Fleming Island, Florida; Amber (Blom) and Ben Younan, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Carli (Blom) and Spencer Black, of Grimes; and Kim Hiemstra and Kyle and Traci Hiemstra, all of Sioux Center; seventeen great-grandchildren; seven siblings and their spouses, Jenieva Kastein, of Rock Rapids; William and Ann Vander Maten, of Hull; Lucia and Chap Vander Ploeg, of Hospers; Hermina and Gene Beernink and Kaye and Herb Kuyper, all of Sioux Center; and Herman and Marilyn Vander Maten, of Surprise, Arizona; a sister-in-law, Millie Vander Maten, of Orange City; Wilbur’s siblings and their spouses, Jean and Joe Muyskens, of Homewood, Illinois; Barbara Harmelink, of Peoria, Arizona; and Dennis and Nellie Harmelink, of Olathe, Kansas.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four siblings and their spouses, Allie and Mike Korver; Hans Vander Maten; Gert and William Huisman; and John Vander Maten; and two brothers-in-law, Peter Kastein and Cliff Harmelink.
Memorials will be directed to the Campus Crusade for Christ for Kim Hiemstra.
