Johana Schut

There once was a tiny Dutch woman who lived at the edge of a golf course. But before that she was a farmer’s wife and she loved her time spent on the family farm east of Prairie City. She liked to keep things simple and her favorite hobbies were camping, fishing, cross word puzzles and word searches. She enjoyed trips to Michigan and Disney World. Johana Mae Schut (De Koning), 93, was good with plants, skilled at crochet, and always up for a game of Uno or Sorry. A woman who had mastered the art of home cooked meal of comfort. There were always hard candies in her purse, strawberry pop in her fridge, and cookies in her Tupperware. Her marriage to Gilbert was a testament to the power of love and the honor of kept vows. In retirement they decided to call Pella home. A deeply Christian woman, she was a longtime member of Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella after originally being a member of Christian Reformed Church in Prairie City. Johana was also a member of both the J.O.Y. Society and the Ladies Aid Society. She loved her family deeply. She made the best orange jello, appreciated good pie and never forgot to send a birthday card. A woman who faced the end of her life with the same steadfast honesty that she’d always lived.  Not one for flashy frivolity, she’d simply like to be remembered as a woman who lived a full and happy life surrounded by a family who loved her very much.

Johana Mae Schut, daughter of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Jansen) De Koning, was born on September 1, 1927, on the family farm near Lynnville.

 On January 29, 1948, Johana was united in marriage to Gilbert J. Schut at her family farm near Monroe.  To this union, two sons were born: David and Timothy.   

Those left to cherish her memory:

Tim Schut

Vickie Schut

     Patty Schut

          Sarah and Joshua Hoffman

          Austin Wade and fiancée Allie Burgus

                  Nathan Burgus, Brian Wade

     Angie and Scott Schaffer

          Phoebe, Toby and Lydia

     Paul and Catherine Schut 

She is also survived by her sister-in-law Margaret De Koning.

Johana was preceded in death by her husband Gilbert in 2011, her son David, in 1997, her parents, her three brothers and their wives: Albert and Dorothy De Koning, Dick and Dorothy De Koning, Carroll De Koning; her sisters and their husbands: Bertha and Jake Schut, and Harriett and Arthur Vande Kieft.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.