Arabella Kleinhesselink

Mrs. Arabella Kleinhesselink, age 88, of Orange City, passed away on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at the Orange City Area Health System Long Term Care Facility.

There will be a memorial service on Friday, February 9, at 10:30am, at the First Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. David Ter Beest will officiate. Interment will be prior to the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. There will be a prayer service on Friday, at 9:30am, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

Visitation will be after 3:30pm on Thursday, with the family present from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, at the funeral home.

Arabella Mae was born on December 4, 1918, at Boyden, the daughter of Andrew and Minnie (Mouw) Plender. She was raised on a farm east of Alton, where she attended country school.

On May 22, 1940, she married Joe W. Kleinhesselink at Alton. They made their home at Alton, Orange City, Williamsberg, and Hospers. They returned to Orange City in 1960. Joe passed away on March 28, 1988, in Orange City.

In October of 2003, "Belle" became a resident of the Pioneer Memorial Home in Orange City, and in May of 2005, she transferred to the Long Term Care Facility.

She was a homemaker and also worked in daycare, as a certified nursing assistant, and as a cook at the Heritage House Nursing Home in Orange City and the Hospers Truck Stop Café.

Mrs. Kleinhesselink was a member of the First Reformed Church. She attended church programs and events and appreciated the Bible Conferences at Lake Okoboji.

She enjoyed playing cards, playing and singing with the piano, having coffee with the ladies, baking, cooking, and working crossword puzzles. She loved being with her children, grandchildren, and siblings, and she liked the time she spent living on the farm.

Survivors include her eight children and their spouses, Gary and Betty Kleinhesselink, of Orange City; Ken and Marty Kleinhesselink, of Casper, Wyoming; Daryl and Jeanine Kleinhesselink, of Cathedral City, California; Judy and Darlo Schaap, of Orange City; Lyle and Ronda Kleinhesselink, of Orange City; and Leon and Leann Kleinhesselink, Jim and Kim Kleinhesselink, and Mike and Gina Kleinhesselink, all of Alton; 23 grandchildren, Greg Kleinhesselink and his fiancé Jan, Todd Kleinhesselink and his wife Jenifer, Lisa Kleinhesselink and her special friend Shane, Kevin Kleinhesselink, Tammy Marshall, Kristi Yurko and her husband Jimmy, Janna Kleinhesselink and her fiancé Tony, Mickelle Bobzien, Angela Kleinwolterink, Jaclyn Schaap, Jeremy Kleinhesselink and his wife Jackie, Riley Kleinhesselink and his wife Amy, Abby Dravland and her husband Dustin, Cordell Kleinhesselink and his special friend Keelee, Jesse Kleinhesselink and his special friend Trista, Jamie Kleinhesselink, Joshua Kleinhesselink, Brandi Sanchez, Matt Dowson, Jordan Dowson, Ben Kleinhesselink and his special friend Ashley, Holly Kleinhesselink, and Kelsey Kleinhesselink; 21 great-grandchildren, Malorie, Luke and Ryan Kleinhesselink, Keegan, Bradon and AJ Marshall, McKenzie Schaap, Jaden Bobzien, Colton and Kya Kleinwolterink, Peyton Kleinhesselink, Ava and Faith Dravland, Ali Kleinhesselink, Jessica and Erica Sanchez, Breanna, Sadie, Hope, Faith and Allan Dowson; three sisters, Matilda Ter Horst, Ruth Vander Maaten, and Bernice Faber, all of Orange City; and two sisters-in-law, Arta Plender, and Mildred, and her husband, Russ Van Gorp, all of Orange City.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by three sisters, Margret De Haan, Mina Muilenburg, and Henrietta Ter Horst, two brothers, John and Henry Plender; and four sisters-in-law, Dena De Vries, Henrietta Van't Hof, Winnie Korver-Stander, and Elvina Vander Zwaag.

Memorials will be directed to the Orange City Area Home Health and Hospice.