Nellie Schoonhoven

NELLIE SCHOONHOVEN was born to Dick and Lena (Kooistra) DeRuyter on November 23, 1934 at Rock Valley, Iowa. In 1942, she moved with her family to a farm near Hills, Minnesota where she attended school for two years and then continued her education at Hills Public School. In 1950, she moved with her family to a farm near Ruthton, Minnesota. While living there, she helped on the family farm while her brothers entered the armed forces. She also did a lot of babysitting and worked at the Tyler Hospital in Tyler, Minnesota. On November 30, 1956, she was united in marriage to John Schoonhoven at the Christian Reformed Church in Holland. Following their marriage, they lived in Holland and Nellie worked at the Mayfair Motel in Pipestone, Minnesota and also at Armour and Company. She was employed in various departments at the Good Samaritan Village in Pipestone for 19 years. She also worked for Pipestone County Family Services for 12 years. Nellie and John entered the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone on February 20, 2015. John preceded her in death on March 25, 2015. On Monday, August 22, 2016, Nellie died at the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone at the age of 81 years, eight months and 29 days.

Nellie was a member of the Christian Reformed Church in Holland. In her younger years, she taught Bible School. She loved craft shows and went and worked beside her husband at many of them. She also did some crafts. She enjoyed collecting dolls and had many of them. Most of all, she enjoyed babysitting and caring for her two grandchildren.

She is lovingly remembered by her daughter, Miranda (Brent) Ford of Redwood Falls, Minnesota; two grandchildren, Jordan and Jaycie Ford; two brothers, Spark (Shirley) DeRuyter of Rock Valley, Iowa, and Rich (Fran) DeRuyter of Ruthton, Minnesota; four sisters, Gert Van Engen of Hartley, Iowa, Mina (Ed) Poppen of Lennox, South Dakota, Mary Gunnink of Lake Wilson, Minnesota, and Carol (Rich) Hill of Lubbock, Texas; and her sister-in-law, Linda (Rich) Wissink of Rock Valley, Iowa. She is preceded in death by her husband, John; her son, Merlyn Jay Schoonhoven; her parents; two brothers, John DeRuyter and Gerrit DeRuyter; three brothers-in-law, Allen Franken, Dick Van Engen and Peter Gunnink; and one sister-in-law, Eleanor DeRuyter.

Blessed be her memory.