BLANKESPOOR, Edith (Bajema) 1918-2015

BLANKESPOOR, BAJEMA, VANDER STOEP

Posted By: K. L. Kittleson
Date: 1/29/2015 at 21:36:25

Edith Blankespoor

August 19, 1918 - January 24, 2015

Inwood, Iowa - Edith Blankespoor, 96, of Inwood, died Saturday, January 24, 2015 at Fellowship Village at Inwood. Memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at Inwood Christian Reformed Church with Rev. Sam Krikke officiating. Burial will be held prior at Richland Cemetery at Inwood. Visitation, with the family present, will be held from 5:00–7:00 p.m., Monday, January 26, 2015 at Inwood Christian Reformed Church. Condolences may be left for the family at www.porterfuneralhomes.com.

Edith was born in Rock Valley, Iowa on August 19, 1918, the fifth of eight children born to John and Bessie (Vander Stoep) Bajema. After attending college at Westmar and teaching at a country school, she married Henry E. Blankespoor in 1940 and moved to a farm northeast of Inwood, Iowa. This marriage was blessed with six children. Edith will be remembered for her great cooking, skillful sewing and crocheting, amazing Scrabble skills, and astute understanding of the Bible.

She was the Bible study leader for her women's Bible study group for 21 years. She enjoyed reading, working the puzzles in the newspaper, watching the Minnesota TWINS and keeping up with her children and grandchildren's lives. One of Edith's legacies is her positive outlook on life. She had a smile for everyone and never complained. Her faith sustained her and her cheerful spirit endeared her to all who knew her.

Her family members who grieve her are son, Ed and Carol Blankespoor of Grand Rapids Michigan; daughter, Betty and Paul Hesselink of Chattanooga, Tennessee; daughter, Judi and Harv Vander Top of Edgerton, Minnesota; daughter, Helen and Lee Luhrs of Knoxville, Iowa; son-in-law, Dale Bonnema of Inwood, Iowa; son, Harv and Cheryl Blankespoor of Inwood, Iowa; seventeen grandchildren and twenty-six great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Anne Viening, and her husband, Ed, and sister-in-law, Agnes Bajema. Preceding her in death were her husband, Henry, and daughter, Ruth Bonnema.

Source: Porter Funeral Home