June 16, 1917 - Jan. 2, 2006
HANCOCK -- Raymond E. Bouma, 88, of Hancock died Monday at Courage Cottage in Morris.
The service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Christian Reformed Church in Hancock. Burial will be at Lakeside Cemetery in Hancock. Military rites will be provided by the Morris American Legion, VFW and Am Vets.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris and for one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.
He was born June 16, 1917, in Leota to Henry and Clara (Ver Steeg) Bouma. The famiy moved to Hancock when he was young and he attended School District 17 through the eighth grade and worked on the family farms. He served in the U.S. Army as an artillery crewman during World War II.
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He married Julia Van Otterloo on June 22, 1950, at Christian Reformed Church in Hancock. They farmed near Glenwood in 1951, then near Cyrus in 1953. They moved to Hancock and farmed there from 1961 to 1977. He worked for many area farmers, worked a couple winters at Lorenz Manufacturing in Benson, drove for Riverside Express, and mowed lawns. He moved to Courage Cottage in Morris in October.
He was a member Christian Reformed Church in Hancock and active in their men's society, couples club, consistory and Bible study. He was also a member of the American Legion and the Hancock Community Choirs for many years.
He is survived by his wife; children: Judy (and Irwin) De Jong of Orange City, Iowa, Lois (and Gary) Strei of Hancock, Bonnie (and Dave) Stabnow of Nashville, Tenn., David (and Brenda) Bouma of Hampton; 11 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and two sisters: Bernice Vanderpoel of Detroit Lakes and Dorothy Burns of Hancock.
He was preceded in death by one sister.
