Gerald Lems

DOON, IOWA~ Gerald Elmer Lems, 84 of Doon, died on Friday, September 23, 2016 at the Whispering Heights in Rock Valley, Iowa.

Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at the Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa with Rev. Simon Lievaart officiating. Burial will follow with military honors at the Hillside Cemetery, Doon. Visitation will begin at noon Monday, with the family present from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Porter Funeral Home in Rock Valley, Iowa. Condolences may be sent to www.porterfuneralhomes.com.

Gerald Elmer Lems was born July 21, 1932 to Lambert and Alice (Gerritsen) Lems near Doon, Iowa. He attended Doon Christian School through 8th grade and graduated from the Doon High School in 1950. He proudly served his country in the US Army from 1952 – 1954 and was stationed in Korea.

He married Jeanette Petersen on January 28, 1955 in Celeryville, Ohio. They lived in Doon for one year and then in Grand Rapids, Michigan for one year, but then returned to Doon where he did custom corn shelling and grinding. In 1971 they moved to the farm east of Doon. Gerald served as a deacon in the Doon Christian Reformed Church and on the Doon Christian School Board.

Gerald was a farmer at heart, and he particularly loved harvest time. His hobbies included fishing and gardening, and Gerald loved to joke and laugh with his family and friends. His greatest earthly treasures were his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. He taught his family to love the Lord above all else, and he set a godly example for them to follow.

Gerald is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Jeanette; one son, Lyle (Karen) Lems, and one daughter, Lora (Loren) Kooiman, all of Doon; six grandchildren, Alyssa (Greg) Bakker, Kyle (Jessica) Lems, Trevor Lems, Lance Kooiman, Grant Kooiman all of Doon, and Rachel (Austin) De Boer of Overland Park, Kansas; six great-grandchildren, Kacyn, Anika, Kalyson and Jase Bakker, and Maya and Owen Lems; brother-in-law, Bernard (Alberta) Petersen of Dunwoody, Georgia; and sisters-in-law, Helen Petersen of Fairborn, Ohio, Jane Sharpless of Willard, Ohio, and Henrietta Grove of Shelby, Ohio.

Gerald was preceded in death by his parents, Lambert and Alice Lems; an infant daughter; his in-laws, William and Jeanette Petersen; and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

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