Marion Ray Heemstra was born May 27, 1920, to Neal and Edith Baker Heemstra at the family home in Marion County, Iowa. He passed away at the Mercy Medical Center the morning of December 11, 2009, at the age of eighty-nine.

Marion attended country school through the eighth grade. He was united in marriage with Mary E. Van Houweling on October 7, 1947, at the First Reformed Church in Pella. To this union, three daughters were born: Mary Beth, Marla, and Marilee.

Marion lived outside Otley for most of his life. He also lived in Fair Haven and the Hilltop Manor in Pella, and most recently at the Trinity Center at Luther Park in Des Moines.

Marion farmed all of his life, and also worked and retired from the machine shop at Vermeer Manufacturing in Pella. Later in life, he drove buses for the Monroe school district.

Marion was a life-long member of the Otley Reformed Church. He also belonged to the Otley Co-op and was a charter member of the Garden Chapel Funeral Home.

Those left to cherish his memory are: his daughter Marilee and Mark Davis of Des Moines, Iowa; son-in-law Carl and Janet Lust of Reasnor, Iowa; his grandchildren: Adam (Kerry) Lust of Ankeny, Iowa, James (Marcee) Nikkel of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Scott Nikkel of Des Moines, Iowa, Julie (Daniel) Hartness of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Max Davis of Des Moines, Iowa; his great-grandchildren: Tommy Nikkel, Carter Lust, and Brandon Lust; and his sister Katherine Lubberden of Monroe, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by: his parents; his wife, Mary; and his daughters, Mary Beth Heemstra Lust and Marla Heemstra Graves.

Marion enjoyed pitching horseshoes, playing cards, and singing. He loved his farm, his friends, and his family; and he will be missed by many.

FUNERAL SERVICES

10:30 A.M., Friday, December 18, 2009
Otley Reformed Church
Otley, Iowa

VISITATION

Beginning at Noon Thursday, December 18, 2009
with family present from 6:00 - 8:00 P.M.
Garden Chapel Funeral Home
Pella, Iowa

MEMORIALS

Otley Reformed Church

INTERMENT

Silent City Cemetery
Monroe, Iowa

FAMILY

Children: Carl & Janet Lust - Reasnor, Iowa
Marilee & Mark Davis -Des Moines, Iowa

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