Pauline Groen

FAIRVIEW, SOUTH DAKOTA ~ Pauline Groen, 94, of Fairview, passed away on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Sanford Canton-Inwood Hospital in Canton, South Dakota.

   Funeral Service will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at Porter Funeral Home in Rock Valley, Iowa with Rev. J.J. Witvoet of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation officiating. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday. A time of fellowship and refreshments with the family will follow until 9:00 p.m. The family requests that memorials be directed to the Disaster Fund of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation or the Canton-Inwood Area Health Foundation.

   Pauline Groen was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 5, 1929, to John and Mary (Vander Waal) Vander Boon, the fourth of twelve children.  She had many fond memories of family time spent in their farm home in Michigan and attended country school through the 8^th grade.  She worked at Woolworth’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan until their family decided to move to Rock Valley, Iowa in 1949.  Here, they began a family operated bakery in the basement of their home.  She sold and delivered baked goods door to door throughout the country in a jeep outfitted with a box and shelves for baked goods.  She also played and taught accordion lessons. 

   Soon after arriving in Rock Valley, she met Henry Groen and they married on April 2, 1952.  They farmed near Rock Valley, Sheldon, and Hospers, Iowa until 1999.  With the decision made to retire from farming, they searched for and found their dream home in Fairview, South Dakota.  They enjoyed five years here together before Henry died on April 24, 2004.  With her independent spirit and God’s help, Pauline continued life on her own, firmly enmeshed in this hillside community for the remainder of her days.  She enjoyed people—children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, siblings, neighbors, and friends.  Her days were filled with hiking, gardening, flowers, music, homemaking, Bible reading, visiting others, and oil painting.  She was challenged to create special paintings for others and her artwork found a place in many family and friends’ homes.  Pauline was a lifelong member of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation.  She died on Saturday, September 16, 2023.  She was 94 years of age.

   Survivors include three daughters:  Alice (Donald) Etler of Spirit Lake Iowa, Janet Groen of Sheldon, Iowa, and Cheryl (Matthew) Schelling of Orange City, Iowa; 7 grandchildren:  Paul (Stephanie) of Orange City, Iowa, John (Becca) Etler of Des Moines, Iowa, Stanton (Ashley) Schelling of Hull, Iowa, Sarah (Calvin) Van Surksum of Rock Valley, Iowa, Michael Etler of Ankeny, Iowa, Melinda (Treyton) Vander Waal of Hospers, Iowa, and Allison Schelling of Orange City, Iowa; 10 great grandchildren.  Surviving siblings:  Margaret Vander Boon, Ada, Michigan, Ann Vlastuin, Rock Valley, Iowa, Bernice Van Veldhuizen, Rock Valley, Iowa, Marie (Gerrit) Rozeboom, Ada, Michigan, Connie (Ed) Brown, Cedar Springs, Michigan, and Abe (Sandy) Vander Boon of Ada, Michigan. 

   She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Henry, siblings, Sarah (Jerry) Key, Orie (Laurena) Vander Boon, John Vander Boon, Lena (Adrian) Van Ravenswaay, Fred Vlastuin, Sybil (Cornie) Van Veldhuizen, Ada (Teunis) Rozeboom, Cornie Boon, and Joey Vander Boon as well as in-laws, Bill (Della) Wallenberg, Clarence (Pearl) (Pearl) Groen, John (Jeanette) Groen, and Paul (Angeline) Groen.