Helen Marie (Voetberg Boer) Scholten

Rock Valley, IA: Helen (Voetberg Boer) Scholten, 92, of Rock Valley, Iowa, died Thursday, November 14, 2019, at Whispering Heights in Rock Valley. Funeral services will be held Monday, November 18, at 10:00 AM at First Reformed Church of Rock Valley with Rev. Dr. Verlyn Boone officiating. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery of Rock Valley. Visitation, with the family present, will be held Sunday, November 17, from 2:30-4:00 PM at Porter Funeral Home of Rock Valley. 

   Helen Marie, daughter of Harry and Anna (Boxum) Voetberg, was born December 21, 1926 in Stickney, South Dakota. Growing up, Helen’s family moved several times. She had lived in six different communities by the time she was twenty. Helen was united in marriage with Peter Boer, Jr. on December 21, 1949 in Rock Valley, Iowa. The couple made their home on a farm near Rock Valley and to this union, five children were born; LaVerne, Harold, Joan, Wayne, and Mary. Peter died on October 22, 1978. Four years later, on November 14, 1982, Helen was united in marriage with Andrew Scholten. Together the couple made their home in Hull, Iowa. Andy died on July 19, 1999. Following Andy’s death, Helen returned to Rock Valley.

   In addition to being a homemaker, Helen worked for several years for Hope Haven in the Riverview Group Home. She also worked cleaning houses in town. Helen was a talented rug maker and a good seamstress. She made many quilts over the years for her children and grandchildren and she helped sew dresses for a ministry in Haiti. Helen was an avid reader and also enjoyed crossword puzzles, word finds, and playing Scrabble. Helen attended and was a member of the Rock Valley First Reformed Church for nearly 60 years.

   Helen is survived by her three sons, LaVerne (Ann) Boer, Harold (Helen) Boer, and Wayne (Pam) Boer, all of Lyons, South Dakota; two daughters, Joan (Dennis) Groeneweg of Rock Valley, and Mary Boer of Gillette, Wyoming; eight grandsons, Jason, Jeffrey, Michael, Nathan, Richard, Steven, Jarrod, and Matthew; four granddaughters, Wendy, Rose, Miranda, and Kellie; twenty great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Gert Boer of Sioux Center, Iowa; and several nieces and nephews.

   Preceding Helen in death were her parents, Harry and Anna; two husbands, Peter Boer, Jr. and Andy Scholten; five brothers, Ralph, Evert, Ben, Bert, and Harold Voetberg in infancy; and four sisters, Hattie Overweg, Rosie Vander Weg, Margaret Overweg, and Johanna Feenstra.