Betty Marie Terpstra Aalbers was born on July 15, 1928, the fifth child of Garrett and Marie Vande Voort Terpstra. Both of Betty's parents were of Dutch descent; her father was born in Patterson, New Jersey and her mother came to this country from Gelderland Province in the Netherlands at the age of fifteen.

As a young girl, during her summer vacations, Betty worked for Dr. Hendriek and Nora Scholte in the Scholte House located on the north side of Pella's square. She also worked for the Farmer's Union Co-op Marketing Association in Pella before her marriage.

Betty visited Otley Reformed Church with a girlfriend who was a member there and met Edward Aalbers. The rest, as they say, was history. Betty and Edward were married August 8, 1946, at the Otley Reformed Church.

In 1950 one daughter was born to Betty and Edward, Peggy Lavonne. Peggy's husband is Jonathan DeNooy. Peggy has a special needs child who lives at the Eastview Duplex in Pella which is supervised by the Christian Opportunity Center. Jessica is such a joy and always had a smile for grandma.

Edward was a farmer and Betty enjoyed being a farmer's wife. They lived on a farm twelve miles northwest of Pella until 1980. At that time they built a new home on Broadway Street in Pella, the house that Betty's daughter and son-in-law now live in. Edward also worked at Vermeer Manufacturing as a night shift foreman from 1969 until his retirement in 1983, and then worked as the custodian for Second Reformed Church until 1989. Shorty after that Edward was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and passed away in 1998.

Of Betty's original family, she leaves one brother, Bob Terpstra, and a sister-in-law, Jean Terpstra, both of Pella. Deceased brothers are Merlyn (died in infancy), Donald (who died at age eighteen in a car accident), Cecil, and Gerald. One sister, Chrystal, is also deceased. Those remaining on her husband's side of the family are one brother-in-law, Matt Olivier, and one sister-in-law, Magdaline Aalbers, both of Pella.

Betty was a member of Second Reformed Church in Pella. At the time of her death Betty was at the Hospice of Pella Comfort House.

MEMORIAL SERVICES

2:00 P.M., Friday, February 18, 2011
Second Reformed Church
Pella, Iowa

VISITATION

To follow Memorial Service
Second Reformed Church
Pella, Iowa

MEMORIALS

Christian Opportunity Center
Hospice of Pella

FAMILY

Husband: the late Edward Aalbers
Daughter: Peggy & Jonathan De Nooy - Pella
Granddaughter: Jessica Lynne Allen - Pella

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