Harriet DeBoer

Ft. Collins, CO: Harriet B. DeBoer, 90, of Ft. Collins, Colorado died Tuesday, November 22, 2016. Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 26, at 11:00 AM at Porter Funeral Home in Rock Valley, Iowa with Pastor Jason Wiersma officiating. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery of Rock Valley. Visitation with family present will be held prior to the funeral service from 10:00-11:00 AM at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to World Renew.

Harriet Berniece (Mouw) DeBoer, daughter of William B. and Wilhelmina Mouw, was born on August 28, 1926 in Sioux Center, Sioux County, Iowa. Harriet attended grades one through eight in a country school west of her parent’s home in Sioux County. She graduated from Sioux Center High School and went to six weeks of college in Lemars, Iowa, to earn a teacher’s certificate. She taught country grade school for five years, starting at age 17. Harriet had twenty pupils in all eight grades at the same time. She was a homemaker after marriage. Harriet was united in marriage with Jake DeBoer, March 4, 1949, at First Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center with Rev. BJ Haan officiating. They were married for almost forty-eight years when Jake died on February 19, 1996.

The DeBoer family farmed in northwest Iowa until 1968 when they tried moving to Washington state to help Harriet’s asthmatic condition. After living there for eighteen months, they decided central Washington wasn’t helping so moved back to Hull, Iowa. Jake made a significant change of occupation upon returning, getting into the electrical trade which he had learned before farming on his own. The couple decided to take advantage of the booming growth in downtown Denver, and the fair climate in Colorado and moved the younger half of the family there in 1973. They lived in the same house for twenty-eight years until Harriet moved up to Fort Collins, Colorado after Jake died.

As a youngster, Harriet earned a letter “I” in a spelling contest in Orange City, Iowa. In high school, she sang in Girl’s Glee Club and then in a mixed choir. Harriet was also in a play in high school. When she taught school, she got great satisfaction in putting together programs for her students, and when she had children they would put on programs for their daddy! Later in life she sang in church choirs as well as the Harmonettes singing group in Fort Collins. They always enjoyed her strong soprano voice and gave her solos frequently. Harriet was an avid seamstress most of her life—she designed and created many articles of clothing for herself and her children over the years. She loved poetry and collected, categorized, and made illustrated books of wonderful poems for every one of her granddaughters. In each, she included an original poem that she wrote just for them. She also volunteered teaching English as a Second Language for a time in Denver. Harriet kept scrapbooks of photographs, carefully commenting on each picture for future generations.

Harriet was a member of First Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center. After marriage, she and Jake became charter members of Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Rock Valley, Iowa. Later, Jake and Harriet decided to go to church in the same town where the children were going to school. That is when they began attending Hope Christian Reformed Church in Hull. In 1973, after moving to Littleton, Colorado, they attended Ridgeview Hills Christian Reformed Church and later, after the children were all out of the house, Hillcrest Christian Reformed Church. She attended Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Fort Collins.

Harriet was preceded in death by William and Wilhelmina Mouw, parents; Jake DeBoer, husband; and Clifford DeBoer, son.

The Family of Harriet DeBoer

Her husband, Jake (deceased)

Her daughter, Ruth, and Roy Heitritter

Her granddaughter, Tricia, and Eric Koerselman

Her great-grandchildren, Brett and Zoe

Her granddaughter, Megan, and Sean Tousley

Her great-grandchildren, Mia and William

Her son, Clifford (deceased)

Her granddaughter, Maria, and Chris Anderson

Her granddaughter, Sophia, and Andrew Cleveland

Her granddaughter, Margareta, and Zach Maxon

Her granddaughter, Atalie

Her grandson, Klaus

Her daughter, Donna, and Gerald Wiersma

Her grandson, Jason, and Ruth

Her great-grandchildren, Levi, Lexi, and Lenae

Her grandson, Craig, and Angie

Her great-grandchildren, Austin, Kaitlyn, Colin, and Jackson

Her grandson, Brad, and Kristi

Her great- granddaughter, Brooklin

Her grandson, Jesse

Her son, Norman, and Mishela

Her granddaughter, Brianna

Her grandson, Michael

Her grandson, Benjamin

Her granddaughter, Nina

Her daughter, Beth, and Harlan Ponstein

Her granddaughter, Abigail, and Chris Cochrun

Her granddaughter, Hannah, and Travis Nykamp

Her great- granddaughter, Evelyn

Her daughter, Lenore Heckman

Her granddaughter, Erika

Her granddaughter, Nicole, and Ian Jolley

Her grandson, Joe

Her daughter, Constance, and Scott Kramer

Her grandson, Nathan

Her granddaughter, Michelle, and Logan Delacastro

Her granddaughter, Katelyn

Her granddaughter, Julianna

Visitation

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM ,Saturday, November 26, 2016
Porter Funeral Home ~ Rock Valley
1704 15th Street Rock Valley, Iowa, Sioux 51247

Funeral Service

11:00 AM ,Saturday, November 26, 2016
Porter Funeral Home ~ Rock Valley
1704 15th Street Rock Valley, Iowa, Sioux 51247