Ohm, Gertrude (Mrs. Gordon) 1932-2017

DRAAYOM, MARIS, DYKE, NIEMANTSVERDRIET

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:38

Gertrude Harriet Draayom, the daughter of Gerrit Draayom, Jr. and Esther Maris Draayom, was born on Friday, May 13, 1932 in the Hull, Iowa hospital owned and operated by her uncle, Dr. Gerrit Maris. The attending physicians at her birth were her uncles, Dr. Gerrit Maris and Dr. William Maris and her cousin, Dr. Cornelius Maris. Her grandparents were early Sioux County pioneers who had immigrated from the Netherlands; Gerrit Draayom, Sr. and Julia Dyke Draayom who settled at Hospers, and Cornelius Maris and Gertrude Niemantsverdriet Maris who homesteaded west of Orange City near the Million Dollar Corner. Gertrude Niemantsverdriet Maris, as a child, came to America with her family on the first steamboat to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Gertrude Harriet Draayom was raised on her parent's farm on Silver Avenue, one mile northwest of Melvin, Iowa. She attended school in Melvin. Her parents retired from farming in 1945 and the family moved into Sheldon, Iowa. Gertrude began the second semester of seventh grade in Sheldon and graduated from Sheldon High School with the class of 1950. During high school, Gertrude was active with the Methodist Youth Fellowship and enjoyed attending Methodist Camp at Lake Okoboji. Gertrude enrolled in Morningside College and her parents moved to Sioux City in the summer of 1950 so that she could live at home while going to college. While a student at Morningside, she met and began dating another student, Gordon Edward Ohm, the son of Edward and Viola Ohm of Lone Rock, Iowa. She graduated with a B. A. degree from Morningside in 1954 and that Fall, she began her teaching career teaching second and third grade students at Irving Elementary School in Sioux City.
On June 2, 1955, Gertrude and Gordon were married at Grace Methodist Church on the campus of Morningside College in Sioux City. They spent their first summer in Greeley, Colorado where Gordon began graduate school at the University of Northern Colorado. That Fall, they moved to a farm home southeast of LeMars, Iowa and she taught fourth grade at the Union Township Consolidated School where Gordon had been teaching since 1953. They continued spending summers in Greeley until Gordon got his Masters degree in 1957. In 1956, they moved to Oakland, Iowa. Gertrude taught fourth grade and junior high language arts classes in Oakland until their son, Michael William Ohm, was born in 1960. The family moved to Galva, Iowa in 1961 where Gordon served as the school superintendent. In 1963, they moved to their new home in Avoca, Iowa and Gordon became superintendent of the AvoHa Community School. She directed the high school plays at AvoHa from 1963 to 1965. After Mike started school, she returned to teaching and taught supplemental reading and was the elementary librarian at AvoHa from 1966 until her retirement in 1988.
She was an active member of the United Church of Avoca where she served several terms as an elder, served as Sunday School Superintendent for many years, taught an adult Sunday School class for many years, taught Bible School, and was a long time member of the Evening Circle.
Gertrude had been a member of the American Association of University Women, a president of the Kappa Zeta Chi Social Sorority, a member of the Alpha Psi Omega Dramatic Fraternity, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary in Melvin and Galva, and had served as president of the Avoca Garden Club. In 1988, she and Gordon were honored by the Avoca community with the Quality of Life Award.
She was interested in genealogy and compiled histories on both the Maris and Draayom families. Each year, she updated the family history and provided a supplement to all her cousins. She was the youngest of all of her cousins and remained close to all of them. Singing hymns with the Draayom and Dyke families was a memory from childhood that she treasured throughout her life. She also wrote a book, "Mom's Memories For Mike," an account of her Melvin, Iowa farm days. She enjoyed the family vacations, three trips to Canada, and frequent trips to southern California to visit relatives.
In 1991, Gertrude and Gordon built a new home on Red Mountain Ranch in the foothills of northeast Mesa, Arizona. She taught an adult Sunday School class and led several study groups at the Presbyterian Church of the Master in Mesa. She also volunteered for the church by leading a Bible Study at the Springdale Nursing Home and leading monthly chapel services at The Citadel Assisted Living. Throughout the years, Gertrude and Gordon enjoyed entertaining many friends and relatives at their home. For several years, she organized "Sheldon Day", a reunion of people from the Sheldon community in Arizona. Many social times were spent reminiscing with long time friends and relatives at their Mesa home.
In the Fall of 2005, they returned to Iowa and moved into their new condominium in Arnolds Park, Iowa where they enjoyed the views of Lake Okoboji and watching the activity at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park.
Gertrude and Gordon celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on June 2, 2016. Gordon passed away at their home in Arnolds Park on July 10, 2016 after a brief illness. Gertrude remained in their condominium with the assistance of her devoted caregivers until she was hospitalized at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa on July 23, 2017. It was there where she went to be with her Lord and Savior on the morning of August 8, 2017, with Mike, Gordon's nephew Daryl, his niece Ginger, and Betsy, the family cat at her bedside.
In addition to her husband, Gordon, Gertrude was preceded in death by her father Gerrit Draayom, Jr. in 1978, her mother Esther Maris Draayom in 1987, her grandparents, her mother-in-law Viola Schmidt Ohm in 1973, her father-in-law Edward C. Ohm in 1976, her sister-in-law Isabelle Ohm Hanna in 1973, her brother-in-law Willard Ohm in 2013, nineteen aunts and uncles, William Draayom, Bertus Draayom, Geeska Draayom Pancoast, Egberdiana Draayom Vander Velde, Libbe Draayom, Eibertha Draayom Niewenhuis, Jeltje Draayom DeBoer, Margarette Draayom Austin, Fannie Draayom, Anna Maris Vander Wilt, Arie Maris, Anetta Maris Vander Wilt, Hubert Maris, Gertrude Maris Dyke, Cornelia Maris Eerkes, Dr. Gerrit Maris,Henrietta Maris Draayom, John Maris, and Dr. William Maris, and 56 first cousins. Gertrude was the last of her generation on both her mother's and father's sides of the family.
She is survived by her son, Michael Ohm of Okoboji, Iowa, Gordon's nieces and nephews, Darwin Hanna of Hemet, California, Daryl Hanna of Corona, California, Georgia Hanna Toliver of Los Angeles, California, Bryan Hanna and his wife Debbie of Temecula, California, Ginger Hanna Costa of Long Beach, California, and Valerie Hanna Carnahan and her husband Patrick of Torrance, California, Gordon's grand nieces and nephews Jeremy Hanna, Sandra Hanna, Michael Costa, Kevin Costa, Sydney Carnahan, Ashley Carnahan and Sterling Toliver, and Betsy, the family cat.
Burial will be at the Maris family plot at West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City, Iowa.

Source: Pauley Jones Funeral Home online obituary.