Horman, Joe H. 1915–2011

BURKE, CROM, DUNAWAY, HORMAN, HUYSER, KOOREVAAR, MENNINGA, MEYER, O’KANE, RITTER, ROHRDANZ, ROUSH, SWANK

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 4/2/2011 at 14:15:36

Joe H. Horman, 94, of Pella, Iowa, passed away Saturday afternoon at the Hospice of Pella Comfort House.
Joe, husband of the late Dorothy (Ritter) Horman, is survived by three children, Paul Horman and wife Karen of Crossville, Tenn., Earl Horman of Hanover Park, Ill., and Wanda Roush and husband Ted of Pella.
A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 31, 2011, at the United Methodist Church in Pella. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Pella with military honors.
Visitation will begin Wednesday afternoon at Van Dyk-Duven Funeral Home in Pella, where the family will be present from 6 to 8 p.m. Memorials may be given for the Hospice of Pella Comfort House.
Source: Newton Daily News; Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Additional information from Van Dyk-Duven Funeral Home website:
Joe H. Horman was the first of ten children born to Edward and Marie (Koorevaar) Horman on July 10, 1916, in rural Marion County, Iowa. Joe attended grade schools near Monroe, Iowa, and completed the eighth grade at Fair Prairie Country School in 1928. He became a farm hand for Con Kaldenberg at age 15. He then spent nine years working for Glen McConeghy of rural Monroe before entering the service during World War II.
Joe met Dorothy Geneve Ritter, a daughter of Ray and Lettie (Rohrdanz) Ritter of rural Reasnor, Iowa, through the church youth group created by the pastor of the Reasnor, Galesburg, and Tool’s Chapel Methodist churches. After dating for exactly two years to the day, Joe left for the military service on June 2, 1942, but not before giving his sweetheart an engagement ring. Joe spent the first 18 months of his Army duty at various air bases training to overhaul aircraft engines and as a flight engineer. Following this education, he was sent to India for another 18 months of duty before returning home. Shortly after his discharge from the service, he began working at the Otley Farmer’s Cooperative Exchange in Otley, Iowa. On February 15, 1946, Joe and Dorothy were married by Rev. George Pennington at the Monroe United Methodist Church, where they were faithful members for over 50 years. During their years in Otley, they were blessed with three children: Paul Duane, Earl Dennis, and Wanda Faye. After living in Otley for 48 years, they moved to Pella in February of 1994. After Dorothy’s passing on August 23, 1998, Joe moved to Lindview Apartments and then spent his remaining years in Vriendschap Village in Pella. Over the years, Joe’s greatest joy and the love of his life was his family—children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He and Dorothy were avid gardeners and enjoyed travel and nature-related activities, including picnics, fishing, and gathering mushrooms and walnuts. Joe always remained an accountant at heart and spent much of his retirement on his computer doing Excel spreadsheets and tracking his expenses and earnings to the penny. Joe was also a member of the American Legion Post No. 89 in Pella and VFW Post No. 5242.
On Saturday afternoon, March 26, 2011, he passed away peacefully at the Hospice of Pella Comfort House in Pella at the age of 94 years. Those left to cherish happy memories of time spent with him are his children: Paul and Karen Horman of Crossville, Tennessee; Earl Horman of Hanover Park, Illinois; Wanda and Ted Roush of Pella; five grandchildren: Valerie and Chad Huyser, Andrea and Brian Meyer, Allison Roush, Kimberly Horman, and Heather O’Kane; five great-grandchildren: Camryn, Gage, and Cor Huyser, Aubrey and Olivia Meyer, and Baby Boy O’Kane due in June. In addition to his children, surviving him are the following sisters and brothers and their spouses: Ellen Dunaway of Monroe, Iowa; Jean Menninga of Pella; Carl and Leona Horman of Pella; Edwin and Daisy Horman of Garland, Texas; and sisters-in-law: Vera (Pete) Horman of Pella, Carolyn (L. John Horman) Burke of Runnells, Iowa; Joyce (Howard) Ritter of Pella and Lucy (Ritter) and husband, Robert Crom of Hackensack, Minnesota.
Joe was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; his parents, Edward and Marie Horman; his parents-in-law, Roy and Lettie Ritter; his sisters: Geneva and her husband, Peter R. Swank, and Linda Horman; his brothers: Martin (Mike) Horman, Marion D. (Pete) Horman, and Larry (John) Horman; brothers-in-law: Norman Dunaway, Setrith Menninga, and Howard Ritter; and a sister-in-law, Janice (Edwin) Horman.