After a lifetime of lovingly serving her Lord and her family, Erma May (Vander Horst) Stursma passed away on April 30, 2025, at The Cottages in Pella, at the age of 95.

Erma May Vander Horst was born on May 31, 1929, in Mahaska County, Iowa. She was the eldest of five children born to Henry and Dorothy (De Geus) Vander Horst. Erma spent her childhood living with her family on Washington Street in Pella, where she walked or rode her bike to school and uptown, roller skated at West Market Park, and played with neighborhood friends. They attended First Reformed Church. As Erma grew older, she helped her mother can produce from their big garden behind the house. She enjoyed marching in Tulip Time and Fourth of July parades.

Erma attended Pella public schools, and when she was a freshman in high school her dad quit his job at Rolscreen Company for health reasons and because he wanted to farm. Her parents sold their house in Pella and moved the family to a farm south of town. This was a big move for Erma because she didn't want to move, and she didn't want to do farm chores. An older boy drove her and a carload of neighbor kids to school. Erma and her family lived on two other farms before she graduated from Pella High School in 1947.

After graduation, Erma worked as a secretary at Rolscreen Company and at the law office of Tunis H. Klein. She enjoyed cruising the Pella square with her friends on Sunday nights after church, which is where she met a good-looking young man, John Stursma. On February 17, 1950, John and Erma were united in marriage at First Reformed Church. Erma quit her job in town, and she and John farmed three farms in Mahaska County. They were active members of the Leighton Christian Reformed Church and became the parents of six children: Donald, Robert, Kenneth, Karen, Judith, and Mary.

The Stursma family moved to Pella in 1968, where they attended First Christian Reformed Church, and John and Erma later became charter members of Covenant Reformed Church. Erma soon took employment as a secretary at Central College, and then at Rolscreen Company (later called Pella Corporation), where she worked full-time for 23 years in the human resources department until she retired in 1991. She then worked part-time in the same department for the next 11 years. In retirement, Erma kept busy doing volunteer work at Work of Our Hands, Pella Historical Society, Pella Clothing Bank, and Hospice. She was a Crossroads Bible Study mentor and a member of Seek and Serve Society in her church. Erma knitted a beautiful afghan for each of her children and grandchildren. John and Erma enjoyed traveling in retirement, including two trips to the Netherlands, trips to Mexico and Alaska, and various road vacations in the United States.

John passed away in 2014, and in 2022 Erma moved to The Manor in Pella, where she enjoyed frequent visits from her family, particularly coffeetimes on Sunday afternoons.

Erma was preceded in death by her husband John Stursma; and son Robert, in infancy. Also, her parents Henry and Dorothy Vander Horst; sister Wilma Vander Horst, in infancy; sister and brother-in-law Norma and Carl Russell; brother and sister-in-law Willis and Linda Vander Horst; and brother-in-law Marion Slagter. Also, her parents-in-law William and Hendrika Stursma; and brothers-and-sisters-in-law Wilbur and Ruth Stursma and Tressa and Marvin Vander Schaaf.

This was Erma's favorite verse and her wish for her family:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Erma is survived by five children, 13 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren, and their families:

Don Stursma, Pella

Mark and Brenda Stursma

Luke, Matt

Jon and Jaclyn Stursma

Lucas, Lydia

Carol and Dan Bruxvoort

Annie, John

Ken and Leona Stursma, Pella

Alisa and Brad Melvin

Rachel, Abigail, Brady

Jeff Stursma

Kendra and Mark Braun

Madison, Nolan, Elijah

Karen and Doug Saubert, Pella

Sarah and Kevin Lang

Josie, Chester, Willow

Lisa and Chris Moak

Lola, Milo

Judy and Daryl Van Zee, Pella

Byron and Clarissa Van Zee

Asher, Annika, Ara

Tony and Sarah Van Zee

Serenity

Grant Van Zee

Mary and Richard Boomsma, Pella

Michael and Kristine Boomsma

Emma

Rebecca and Matthew Madigan

Lane Cox

Erma is also survived by her sister, June Slagter.

Crossroads Bible Institute

The Well
Pella IA
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