Nikkel, Elizabeth Alice (Betty) 1923-2017

NIKKEL, LANSER, BRUXVOORT, JOYCE, GRAHAM, TAPP, REICKS, EINWALTER, ROZENDAAL, VAN ZEE, GAULKE, MENNINGA, ROOSE, LEWIS, MCANALLY, KINGMA, MICK, NEUBAUER, VEENSTRA, VAN WYK, FOPMA, ENGLE, VAN KOOTEN, VAN MAAREN, ZYLSTRA, SJAARDEMA, HUGEN, BANDSTRA

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 7/13/2021 at 21:35:39

Betty Nikkel
September 6, 1923 - August 25, 2017

Elizabeth Alice (Betty) Lanser was the 8th of 13 children that were born to John and Elizabeth (Bruxvoort) Lanser. She was born on September 6, 1923, in Newton, Iowa. Betty received a grade school education at the Sully Christian Grade School in Sully, Iowa. When Betty was 13 years of age her mother, Elizabeth, passed away. She then, along with her sister Joann, assumed the household responsibilities and helped raise their four younger siblings. Betty was baptized and made profession of faith at the Sully Christian Reformed Church, where she remained a lifelong member. It was there at Sunday evening youth group that she met Dewey James Nikkel. On November 29, 1945, she and Dewey were united in marriage at the home of her father, John Lanser, near Sully. To this union six children were born: Carroll Lee, Robert Dean, Linda Beth, Douglas Jay, Diana Sue, and Michael Gene. Betty and Dewey raised their family on farms in the Sully area. In 1986, Dewey was diagnosed with cancer, and together they moved into Sully. Dewey passed away on August 17, 1987, at the age of 62 years. Betty was a devoted wife, loving mother, and grandmother who spent many hours in her kitchen baking and canning, including countless apple pies. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, putting together quilts and playing games, especially Scrabble, dominoes and Tic. Betty continued to live in Sully and in 2014, moved to Vriendschap Village in Pella, Iowa. On Friday, August 25, 2017, she passed away at the Hospice of Pella Comfort House in Pella at the age of 93 years. She will long be remembered for her patience and gentle servant heart. Betty’s family has grown to include her six children, 24 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren, and four great– great– grandchildren. They are:
Carroll and Jennifer Nikkel – Maxwell, IA
Kerry and Larry Scott – Junction City, KS
Jesse and Lauren Joyce
Jesse Jr. Joyce
Amber Joyce
Sherri and Randy Graham – Kelly, IA
Brittany and Nicholas Tapp
Jocelyn, Ryker Tapp
Brett Graham
Greg and Connie Nikkel – Ames, IA
April Nikkel
Zaelyn Nikkel
Brandi, Cole Nikkel
Mindy Nikkel – Slater, IA
Joel and Sarah Reicks – Dubuque, IA
Joel, Bozena, Rosemary Reicks
Josh and Brielle Reicks – Maquoketa, IA
Jacob, Amelia, Garrett Reicks
Jannessa and Eric Einwalter – Solon, IA
Owen, Simon, Ella, Miles Einwalter

Robert and Rosemary Nikkel – Sully, IA
Dia and Duane Rozendaal – Sully, IA
Nicholas and Rachel Rozendaal
Austin, Emily, Gabriel, Molly Rozendaal
Steve and Tiffany Van Zee – Pella, IA
Caleb, Ethan, Anna, Victoria Van Zee
Jared and Stacey Nikkel – Sully, IA
William, Natalie, Charles Nikkel
Beth and Brent Gaulke – Pella, IA
Mason, Silas, Kate, Miles Gaulke

Linda and Daryl Menninga – Sully, IA
Angela and Daniel Roose – Pella, IA
Brett, Bailey Roose
Marc and Jodi Menninga – Waukee, IA
Deacon, Driese Menninga
Matt and Anne Menninga – Pella, IA
Owen, Eliot, Lewis, Mabel Menninga

Douglas Nikkel – Lynnville, IA
Kristin and Steven Lewis – Sully, IA
Hayden, Lorcan Lewis
David and Karleah Nikkel – Lynnville, IA
Maddux, Reese Nikkel
Julianna and Jake McAnally – Grimes, IA
Asher, Alden McAnally
Kayla and Jason Kingma – Ankeny, IA
Corben Kingma

Diana and Kevin Mick – Kellogg, IA
Daniel Mick – Urbandale, IA
Katie and Jeff Neubauer – Altoona, IA
Rhett Neubauer

(Michael) and Valerie Nikkel – Sully, IA
Nathanael and Rachel Nikkel – Pella, IA
Natasha Nikkel – Pella, IA
Shelby and Brennan Veenstra – Pella, IA
Miranda Nikkel – Sully, IA

Of her original family Betty leaves two brothers and their wives: John and Lois Lanser of Pella, Iowa, Marvin and Ruth Lanser of Holland, Michigan, her sister-in-law, Junella (Peter) Lanser of Denver, Colorado, her brother-in-law, Dan Van Wyk and his wife, Alb, of Pella; along with the following sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Kathleen (Nikkel) Fopma, Bill and Lillian Nikkel, Joyce (Bob) Nikkel, Jean (Nikkel) and Verlan Engle all of Pella, Iowa.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Dewey; her son, Michael Nikkel on October 12, 2016, at the age of 54 years; two daughters-in-law, Norma (Carroll) Nikkel and Jean (Robert) Nikkel; her parents, John and Elizabeth Lanser; the following brothers and sisters and their spouses: Mattie and Henry Jansen, Brant and Jo Lanser, Arie and Jo Lanser, Durky and Gerrit Van Kooten, Nellie and Cornie Van Maaren, Henry and Clara Lanser, Johanna and Ludolph Zylstra, Pete Lanser, Harriet Van Wyk; her parents-in-law Henry and Bertha (Sjaardema) Nikkel and a step-father-in-law, Dick Hugen; and the following brothers-in-law and sister-in-law: Charles Fopma, Joyce (Nikkel) and Gilbert Bandstra, and Bob Nikkel. Betty faithfully read the Bible and prayed diligently for her family.

Funeral services will be held
Monday, August 28, 2017 at 10:30 am
Sully Christian Reformed Church, Sully, Iowa
Interment will follow in the Sully Cemetery at Sully, Iowa

Visitation will begin Sunday morning at Van Dyk- Duven Funeral Home in Pella, IA.
Visitation with the family present will be Sunday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at Sully Christian Reformed Church.

Memorial contributions are suggested for the Sully Christian School in Sully, IA or Cary Christian Center in Cary, MS. ~ The Van Dyk - Duven Funeral Home, Pella, Iowa 25 Aug 2017.