Person:Tryntje van Dijk (1)

Obituary of Mrs. Sye Hoekstra.

This comes from the Sheldon Sun, 9 April 1924.

Mrs. Sye Hoekstra (nee Tryntje Van Dyk) was born in Minnertsga, Vriesland (Friesland), Netherlands in the year 1860. There she spent her childhood and youthful days and was married to Mr. Hoekstra in 1879. Five children were born unto them in the Netherlands, one of whom died there.

In 1887 the family came to America, settling in Orange City. There they lived five years. The next five years were spent in Maurice, Iowa, where Mr. Hoekstra was section foreman working for the Northwestern R.R. Ever since then the family has lived at Sheldon, a period of 28 years. At Sheldon Mr. Hoekstra has been engaged in [a] truck farming and gardening business, and thereby became well acquainted with the people of Sheldon.

Mrs. Hoekstra has been suffering for the last year with gall bladder trouble which took on an acute form towards the last. She was removed to Myers Hospital where she was operated upon for gall stoness, no less than 50 stones having been removed. The operation was very successful [but the patient died--that old joke], and Mrs. Hoekstra was doing nicely. But due to her weakness pneumonia set in which caused her to linger between life and death for almost two weeks. Then for a week she rallied nicely, and all hopes were again cherished that she would recover. But the long siege proved to be too much for her, and the last week she failed gradually. She was well aware of the coming end which she bravely met, having set her full assurance upon the Lord. The last three days of her life she was almost completely unconscious, and Sunday afternoon at 4:10 she passed away without a struggle. She suffered very much at the hospital for four and a half weeks, but had the best of care, having had the attention of a special nurse from beginning to end.

Mrs. Hoekstra was the mother of 13 children, six of whom have died. The seven living are: Mr. Cornelius Hoekstra of Wood River, Nebraska; Mrs. Anna Buysman of Chandler, Minn.; Mr. Harry Hoekstra of Sheldon; Mr. John Hoekstra of Atlanta, Georgia; Mrs. Agnes R Roorda, of Elphis, Colorado; Mr. Jake Hoekstra of Mitchell, S.D. Their adopted daughter Alice Marie is still at home to comfort the sorrowing father in his old days.

Mrs. Hoekstra would have attained the age of 64 years in the month of April, and Mr. and Mrs. Hoekstra have lived in the happy state of marriage for almost 45 years.

Besides the children and grandchildren, Mrs. Hoekstra leaves a host of friends to mourn her death.

The funeral services were held Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. from the house and at 1:30 at the Christian Reformed Church of Sheldon, Rev. J. Mulder officiating. The body was laid to rest at Orange City, Iowa, where five children of Mrs. Hoekstra are buried.

1.   Tryntje Rintjes van Dijk Hoekstra, in Find A Grave.