Rena DeBoer

Funeral services for Rena DeBoer, age 94, of Milaca will be held Friday, April 29, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. at the Christian Reformed Church in Pease with Rev. David Smit and Rev. Tom Sahlstrom officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church. Providing music for the service will be Don DeBoer. Serving as casketbearers will be Bruce Brechtel, Art Shackle, Darin Krengel, Bern Cloutier, David Minks, and Steve Benoit. Honorary casketbearers will be Christine Cloutier, Raynette Werlinger, Cheri Minks, Terri Brechtel, JoAnn Shackle, Barbara Bursack, and Elizabeth Benoit. Interment will follow in the Pease Cemetery. Arrangements are being handled by the Peterson-Johnson Funeral Home in Milaca. Rena DeBoer was born December 07, 1916, the youngest of ten children to Ryn and Effie (Eppinga) Fylstra in Hull, Iowa. She attended the country grade school and Western Christian High in Hull, Iowa. She moved to the Pease, Minnesota area in 1936. This is where she met Sam DeBoer and they were later married on October 20, 1937. They farmed in the Pease area until 1958, when they moved into Pease. She was very involved with fundraising for the Sister Kenny Foundation-canvassing the three-county area around Pease. She also did daycare for many children of the Pease Community School teachers. In 1987, they moved to Milaca, where she resided until her death. She was a 70+ year member of the Pease Christian Reformed Church being very active in Ladies Aide and the Birthday Club. She and her husband enjoyed working in the canteen for the annual 4th of July picnic in Pease for many years. Rena died Saturday, April 23, 2011 at the Milaca Elim Home at the age of 94 years, 4 months, and 16 days. She is survived by her daughters, Darlene Krengel of Minneapolis, MN, Marcia (Roger) Shackle of Mora, and Eleanor (William) Bursack of New Brighton, MN; 8 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 15 great-great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Sam; son-in-law, Russell Krengel; grandson-in-law, Scott Werlinger; three brothers, and six sisters.