Obituary of William Elgersma

William “Bill” Elgersma, the son of Harry W. and Hattie (Kramer) Elgersma was born near Bigelow, Minnesota on March 19, 1916. He was baptized at the Bigelow Christian Reformed Church. The family later moved to a farm near Sanborn, Iowa. He attended country school and Sanborn Christian School through the 7th grade, then worked on the family’s farm and also helped out other area farmers. In his adolescent years he was afflicted with slipped growth plates in both hips, resulting in several surgeries. Due to this condition, he was unable to serve our country in the military during World War II. Instead, he moved to California where he worked at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, building C-47 aircraft. Bill was united in marriage to Elsie Hofman on September 7, 1949. Following the marriage, they lived in Chicago where Bill attended Coyne Electrical School. The family moved back to Sanborn in December of 1950. Bill became employed with Sanborn Municipal Utilities, working at the light plant. He also had his own business, Bill’s Radio & TV, repairing electrical appliances out of his home, and doing residential wiring. Bill and Elsie, along with their family, were custodians for the Sanborn Christian School from 1965 until 1972. Following his retirement from the light plant in 1978, Bill continued to assist with keeping the engines running whenever the town’s power supply was interrupted. He will be remembered as someone who could fix almost anything. He had a very soft heart and a kind temperament. He died peacefully in the arms of his Lord and Savior on Thursday, April 8, 2010, at the Sanford Sheldon Medical Center in Sheldon, Iowa. He was 94. Bill and Elsie were blessed with four children, Jerry W., Cheryl, Delores and Susan. As a family, they enjoyed many car trips to California, and fishing trips to Northern Minnesota throughout the years. He had a special place in his heart for animals, especially dogs. He was a past member of the Sanborn Christian Reformed Church where he ran the speaker system and made audio recordings of services—distributing them to shut-ins from the church. He was a charter member of the Cornerstone United Reformed Church, and was a past board member of the Sanborn Christian School. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 59 years, Elsie, (who he missed dearly) on December 11, 2008; brothers Sam and Jake Elgersma, and sisters Josie VandenBerg, Jennie VandenBerg, Margaret Veltman and Tena Elgersma. He is survived by his children, Jerry W., of Sanborn, Cheryl, Delores and Susan, all of Sioux Falls, SD; two brothers, John (Beverly) Elgersma and Raymond (Phyllis) Elgersma, all of Sanborn; sisters Effie (Richard) Starkenburg of Sibley, IA, June VanDyke of Sanborn; in-laws Priscilla Elgersma of Primghar, IA, George Veltman of Artesia, CA, and Harry and Tillie Bosma and Gert and Pearl Hofman, all of Sanborn. Celebration of Life William Elgersma Born ~ March 19, 1916 Died ~ April 8, 2010 Age ~ 94 years 19 days Memorial Service 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 10, 2010 Cornerstone United Reformed Church Sanborn, Iowa Officiating ~ Pastor Dan Donovan Organist ~ Kay Wesseling Congregational Singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” P. 408 “My God How Wonderful Thou Art” P. 328 “He Leadeth Me” P. 463 “By the Sea of Crystal” P. 469 Pallbearers Brian Elgersma Terry Van Dyke Dale Elgersma Mike Elgersma Arlin Elgersma Dave Elgersma Ushers Bob Anema Don Brower Interment Roseland Cemetery ~ Sanborn, Iowa 10:15 prior to the memorial service