Josie Kleinhuizen

Josie Kleinhuizen August 31, 1919 - August 14, 2017 Josie Kleinhuizen, age 97, of Willmar, died peacefully, surrounded by her children, Monday, August 14, at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. Funeral services will be Friday, August 18, at 10:00 a.m., at Roseland Reformed Church in Roseland. A private interment will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, August 17, at the church and will continue on hour prior to the service on Friday. Arrangements are with Tri-County Funeral Home in Prinsburg. Josie (Hoekstra) Kleinhuizen was born August 31, 1919, at the home of her parents, John and Gertrude (Stob) Hoekstra, in Roseland Township. She attended country school at District 91 through 8th grade. Josie loved music and as a young girl, she played button accordion at square skip events in Roseland. She made her profession of faith and was a faithful, lifelong member of the Roseland Reformed Church, where she attended Women’s Bible Club and taught Sunday School. On March 9, 1938, she married Edwin Kleinhuizen and moved to the Kleinhuizen farm north of Prinsburg. There they raised their children and worked together on the family farm. Josie was known for her cooking and baking skills while serving hired men during harvest. She was a devoted wife and mother, always putting her family first. In 1960 they moved to Prinsburg. After the children were grown, Josie worked part-time at the Crest Shop, Butters, and The Country Store in Willmar. In their retirement years, Ed and Josie created many wonderful memories with their family at their cabin on Lake Florida. In 2012 she moved into Bethesda Nursing Home, where she was loved and made many new friends. Because of her interest in others and the world around her, many people enjoyed visiting with her. Josie expressed her creativity through sewing, knitting, quilting, refinishing antique furniture, and flower gardening. She will be remembered for her generous hospitality and the love she shared with her family and friends. She instilled in her family a concern for others, and continued to use this gift at Bethesda. While at Bethesda, she spent time reading her Bible, doing word search puzzles, and was a powerful prayer warrior for her family and friends. Survivors include her four children: Merlin (Jan) Kleinhuizen of Willmar, Larry (special friend Sally Carlson) of Spicer and Willmar, Jolene (Willis) Ammermann of Renville, Sherri (Ron) Pool of Roseland; 10 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 2 great, great-grandchildren; 2 sisters-in-law: Alda Hoekstra and Wilma Hoekstra; many nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends. Josie was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Edwin in 1995; three brothers: William Hoekstra, Cornelius Hoekstra, and Anthony Hoekstra; and a sister, Dorothy Ledeboer. Memorials are preferred to Central MN Christian School, Roseland Reformed Church, and Bethesda Foundation.  

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