Pella — Josephine Marie Roozeboom was born on September 6, 1934 near Harvey, Iowa. She was the youngest of four children that were born to Henry and Magdalene (Hoksbergen) Roozeboom. Jo, as she became known, attended the Union Country Grade School near Tracy, Iowa and graduated from Pella Christian High School in Pella, Iowa with the Class of 1952. As many young people did at that time, Jo met her lifelong mate uptown on the square in Pella on Sunday night.
She and Garret Pleima were united in marriage on December 17, 1953 at the Second Christian Reformed Church in Pella. A special memory of their wedding day was that Garret had cut his thumb with a knife while cutting evergreen branches for decorations for the wedding. Jo and Garret were blessed with two children: Connie Mae and Gerald Lee. Respectfully, Jo and Garret worked hard at their various occupations, and after high school she began working for the City of Pella. They felt a real sense of accomplishment when they bought a farm in 1970, where Jo worked along side Garret. Later she became a parttime CNA at the Pella Community Nursing Home in Pella and then did secretarial work for Arie Boot Accounting Service, the Pella Cooperative Exchange and Larry Ver Steeg, a veterinarian. For the past 20 years, she has been a realtor and received several awards. Jo was always an active business woman. She was involved in the Pella community with the Pella Business Women and for the past 10 years with the Thursday night activities with the Pella Chamber of Commerce. She and Garret enjoyed gospel music and camping together.
On October 17, 1998, Garret passed away at the age of 65 years. Jo was baptized at the Tracy Christian Reformed Church in Tracy, Iowa in 1934 and made profession of her faith at the Second Christian Reformed Church in Pella. She remained active and enjoyed working with New Hope Community Church functions, music, Bible study and their outreach programs. Cooking was a large part of Jo’s life and she will be remembered for her famous, traditional Dutch pea soup at soup suppers and large family dinners on Sundays. On Monday morning, August 6, 2012, she passed away at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa at the age of 77 years.
Family was very important to Jo and those who will cherish her memory are her two children and their spouses: Connie and Don Boat and their family: Nicholas and Michelle Boat and their three children: Jason and Elly Lineweber, Andrew Boat and Emma Boat, Melissa and Jarrod Plants and their two children: Cheyne and Tristin Plants, Brian Boat and his fiancé, Katie Fisher; Gerald and Cindy Pleima and their family: Dustin and Cheryl Pleima and their two children: Landen and Alexis Pleima, Darci Pleima and her fiancé, Kyle Kaplan, and her daughter, McKenna Pleima, Donna Jo Pleima and her fiancé J.D. Ver Meer; and her two sisters and her brother and their spouses: Henrietta (Paul)Vander Hart, Nelson and Margaret Roozeboom, Bernice and Jerry Stump all of Pella, Iowa. Jo was preceded in death by her husband, Garret Pleima; a great-grandson, Garret Dean Ver Meer; her parents, Henry and Magdalene Roozeboom; a brother-in-law, Paul Vander Hart; and her parents-in-law: Pete and Effie (Van Norden) Pleima.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, August 9, 2012 at the Third Reformed Church in Pella. Arrangements were handled by Van Dyk – Duven Funeral Home.
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