Jessie (Janssen) TEKRONY

TEKRONY, JANSSEN, BAKKER, VOGEL

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/20/2006 at 23:31:51

Copyright (c) Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, SD)
January 1, 2000

Jessie TeKrony, who wrote Christian poetry, dies at 94

By BOB KEYES

For 94-year-old Jessie TeKrony, living to see the year 2000 carried little significance. "It didn't make any impression on her at all. It was just a lot of hoopla," said her granddaughter-in-law, Bonnie TeKrony. Jessie TeKrony died Thursday, Dec. 30, 1999, at the Estelline Nursing and Care Center, where she had lived since October 1995. Her granddaughter-in-law said TeKrony predicted that Thursday would be her final day. "She woke up that morning and said, `Today's the day.' She just silently went to sleep and never woke up again." Six of her 15 grandchildren were with her when she died.

Jessie Janssen was born Nov. 29, 1905, in Wright County, Iowa. She attended school in Wright County until she moved with her family to Castlewood when she was 12. She attended Hamlin County Schools. She married Henry TeKrony on Sept. 15, 1926. The couple farmed near Bemis and later in Deuel and Hamlin counties before moving to Estelline. She worked at Jorvig Rest Home for 13 years. She was a member of the Bemis Christian Reformed Church and the Ladies Aid. In addition to memories of their grandmother, TeKrony's descendants also have spoken words. While going through her grandmother-in-law's belongings this week, Bonnie TeKrony found an audio cassette that TeKrony had made of herself reading some of her original poetry."She wrote a lot about the Lord and how he was going to save us," her granddaughter-in-law said. "So now I'm going to make copies for all of the other grandkids." TeKrony also enjoyed crocheting and baking. "That's one of the things we all will miss about Grandma. She used to make us all four dozen molasses cookies for Christmas," Bonnie TeKrony said.

Survivors include 15 grandchildren 24 great-grandchildren and two sisters, Hilda Vogel and Margaret Bakker, both of Sanborn, Iowa. Services begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Bemis Christian Reformed Church, rural Castlewood, with burial in the Bemis Christian Reformed Cemetery. Visitation is 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Geise Funeral Home in Estelline and prior to the service Monday at the church.