Glenn Peter Pollema

THE FUNERAL SERVICE FOR GLENN POLLEMA IS POSTPONED DUE TO FLOODING.

Woodward, IA: By God’s amazing grace, Glenn Peter Pollema, age 73, entered eternal life on Monday, June 17, 2024, at the Woodward Resource Center in Woodward, Iowa. A funeral service will be held Saturday, June 22, at 10:30 AM at the First Reformed Church in Rock Valley, Iowa with Rev. Roger Voskuil officiating. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.rvfrc.org/. Burial will follow at Hope Cemetery of Hull, Iowa. Following the burial, the family will return to the First Reformed Church in Rock Valley for a luncheon and time of visitation.

 Glenn Peter Pollema was the son of Peter and Gertrude (Te Slaa) Pollema of Hull, Iowa. Glenn was named for his mother, Gertrude and father, Peter. Despite everyone’s best efforts and through no fault of Glenn or his parents, Glenn was born very prematurely on January 7, 1951, at the Le Mars Sacred Heart Hospital in Le Mars, Iowa. He stayed in an incubator there for about 3 months until he weighed 5 lbs. In April, Glenn arrived home, a loved and cute boy to his parents and siblings. He was baptized in the Middleburg Free Grace Reformed Church on May 13, 1951, by Rev. Ellsworth C. Dykstra.

 In August 1951, his parents took him to their local doctor because they suspected he was not seeing things. The doctor confirmed what was feared. Prolonged time in incubators at that time was believed to cause blindness.

 Glenn moved with his family to the Inwood, Iowa area in the spring of 1952. Although Glenn never spoke, he loved music and could “hum” perfectly many of the tunes played or sung repeatedly in his home. His siblings and parents doted on him and gave him much attention and love.

 With the help of Glenn’s uncles and aunts and the Rev. Martin Hoekman, his parents relentlessly sought help to educate and raise this special child. In 1956, Glenn and his mother spent a month in Michigan at a school where they worked on getting Glenn to eat solid foods, obey simple commands, potty training, etc. Glenn was further evaluated and spent time at Elim School for Handicapped near Chicago, Vinton School for the Blind, Institute of Logopedics at Wichita, Kansas, all to no avail. 

 Glenwood Resource Center in Glenwood, Iowa, became his home in June of 1961 for the next 40 years. In 2000, Glenn’s siblings moved him to Westview Home, Hope Haven in Rock Valley, Iowa, so they could be nearer to him. After 9 months of trying to address his needs in every way, Hope Haven determined they could not. They thought his unhappiness and behavior might be homesickness. So Glenn was readmitted to Glenwood and it was reported he laughed when he got into his old home! The staff and caretakers there knew him well and were able to give him what he needed.

 In 2022 Glenn was transferred to the Woodward Resource Center in Woodward, Iowa. The family is very grateful to these institutions for the staff who assisted Glenn with his needs, cares, and had good knowledge of a daily routine that suited Glenn. At its best, Glenn’s story has been heart breaking in many ways. Yet evidenced is the fact that God’s grace was sufficient (II Cor. 12:9) through every trial and step of life.

 Glenn is survived by two sisters, Freida Vander Sluis and Helen (Lyle) De Zeeuw of Rock Valley; brother, Willis (Evelyn) Pollema of Bellflower, California; sister-in-law, Harriet Hanenburg of Edgerton, Minnesota; twelve nieces and nephews, Dorinda (Scott) Sorvig, Darla Olson, Sheila (Dan) Brooks, Steven (Julia) Pollema, Janelle (Chris) Vierick, Joel (Connie) Pollema, Brian (Julie) Pollema, Donna (Jeff) Schwieger, Amy (Jeff) Savage, Stan (Abby) De Zeeuw, Pierce De Zeeuw, and Paige (Brad) Smit; and many great nieces and nephews.

 He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Gertrude; brother, Henry Pollema; and brothers-in-law, James Vander Sluis and Lee Hanenburg.