Mary Jo Van Otterloo

Rock Valley, IA: Mary Jo (Wobbema) Van Otterloo died peacefully, with her daughters by her side, on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Friendly Horizons in Sioux Center, IA, the culmination of a graceful battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, September 8, at 2:00 PM at Faith Reformed Church in Rock Valley with Mary Jo’s son-in-law, Rev. Chris Godfredsen, officiating. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.faithrv.com/. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery in Rock Valley. A visitation with the family present will be held prior to the service from Noon-1:30 PM at Faith Reformed Church.

   Mary Jo was born March 9, 1943, to Bernard and Irene (Tamminga) Wobbema in Orange City, IA. She attended Orange City Christian School, Northwestern Academy, and Western Christian High School. She later went to Dordt College where she received her teaching certificate. Her teaching career led her to schools in Escondido, CA, Hills, MN, and Ireton, IA.

   She met her husband, Harold Van Otterloo, on a blind date in 1969 and they were married a short time later. Harold was a widower with three young boys, Michael, Kevin, and David; and Mary Jo was a single mom to Kari. A year later, Kathy was born, completing their family.

   Her love for the Lord and others was evident. Mary Jo had a way of noticing the needs of others and quietly made an impact on many lives.

   In addition to raising five children, Mary Jo’s love for teaching included sharing the love of Jesus with kids, having spent many years teaching catechism to middle schoolers and mentoring many into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. She had the ability to build relationships with people of any age, was a mentor to young women in MOPS, studied the Scriptures with other women, and walked alongside many others. She also served as a Care Elder at Faith Reformed Church in Rock Valley.

   One of the ways she showed love to others was through her gift of hospitality. Mary Jo loved to cook and bake and shared that gift with those around her. There were always cookies in her freezer, and when an opportunity presented itself, she was quick to provide a meal to anyone who needed it.

   Another one of Mary Jo’s greatest gifts was her sense of humor. She readily laughed at herself, taught others to find joy and humor in all circumstances and had the ability to lighten real life mishaps through that sense of humor.

   Mary Jo was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia in 2023. Although the disease took so much of the woman we knew, the core of who she was remained. She remained pleasant, always expressed gratitude to those caring for her, and continued to be interested in learning about how her kids and grandkids were doing. Her family is very grateful that she knew each of us until her final breath.

   She is survived by her sons Mike (Judy, Rock Valley), Kevin (Letti, Rock Valley), Dave (Beth, Haskell, OK), daughters, Kari Case (Bryan, Lake City, IA), Kathy Godfredsen (Chris, Rock Valley), 19 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, with one on the way, and two great-great-grandsons.

   Along with her parents and husband, Mary Jo was preceded in death by her five siblings, Preston Wobbema, Judy (Wobbema) Jongerius, Bill Wobbema, Carolyn (Wobbema) Fisher, her infant brother, Bruce Wobbema, and her daughter-in-law, Kris Kooima.

   The family will be forever grateful for the love and care she received at both River View Ridge and Friendly Horizons as she lived her final years with dementia, and for the compassionate care and support provided by St. Croix Hospice during her final days.