Rock Valley, IA: Verna Boer, 96, of Rock Valley, Iowa, died Thursday, December 29, 2022, at Whispering Heights in Rock Valley. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 1:00 PM at First Reformed Church in Rock Valley with Rev. Harlan De Jong officiating. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.rvfrc.org/. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery of Rock Valley. Visitation, with the family present, will be held prior to the service from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM at the church.
Memorials may be given to the First Reformed Church Ladies’ Aid or Sioux Center Home Health & Hospice. Porter Funeral Home of Rock Valley is assisting the family with arrangements.
Verna Boer, the daughter of Frank and Anna (Van Sloten) De Graaff, was born on February 27, 1926, on the farm just east of Rock Valley. She moved very often when she was young, living in Doon, Hull, Carmel, and Rock Valley. Verna was baptized in the Reformed Church in Doon. She attended different schools in her younger years and then graduated from Rock Valley Public School in May of 1943. She married Wilbur (Bill) Boer on February 19, 1946, in Luverne, Minnesota. She worked at Roelofs Store, taught country school, worked in a hospital in Boise, Idaho, and a defense department plant in Chicago, Illinois. Verna worked at Valley Pharmacy for Del and June Knobloch for 29 years where she made a lot of very good friends and was known as the “Queen of the Dustpan”. Bill and Verna moved into Rock Valley in October of 1989 and lived there until they moved into Whispering Heights on January 31, 2014. Bill passed away on September 25, 2015. She was known by many people for the many loaves of homemade bread and buns that she made and brought to other people. Verna loved taking care of Harper (Jenny’s dog) at the nursing home and did not like it when Harper was by someone else too long. She loved patriotic songs and always chose them at sing along at Whispering Heights. Verna had always said that she wanted to live longer than anyone in her family and the Lord granted her wish. She was blessed.
Verna is survived by her children, Keith (Doris) Boer of Rock Valley, Iowa, Marjorie De Kam of Rock Valley, Iowa, Leslie (Pam) Boer of Harrisburg, South Dakota, Bill B. (Aletha) Boer of Sibley, Iowa; 11 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; 10 step-grandchildren; 31 step-great-grandchildren; 6 step-great-great-grandchildren; sister, Alma Van Aalsburg; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Verna was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; her parents, Frank and Anna; son-in-law, Jim De Kam; great granddaughter, Katie Lynn De Kam of Ken and Laura; great grandson, Patrick Mentele of Erica and Steve; brothers, Frances (Maggie), Donald (Reynolla), William, Mitchell (Gladys), Harold (Shirley), Elmer; sisters, Josephine (John) Peters, Angeline (John) Oolbekkink, Betty, and Minnie; brother-in-law, Jerry Van Aalsburg; and numerous De Graaff and Boer relatives.
