Barbara Jane Jansma age 81 of Westbrook passed away Sunday, May 19, 2013 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. Monday, May 27 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Westbrook.
Visitation is 5:00-7:00 p.m. Sunday at the Westbrook Funeral Home with a prayer service at 6:30 p.m. There will be no reviewal at the church Monday morning. Burial is in Westbrook Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Immanuel Baptist Church. Online condolences may be sent via www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Westbrook Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Barbara Jane Jansma was born June 20, 1931 to Arthur and Ruth (Boyd) Tibbits in Detroit, Michigan. At age seven she was born again when she trusted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. She married the late Gerrit Joseph Jansma on March 4, 1950 and settled on a farm near Currie. A year later they moved to the family farm south of Walnut Grove. She has been an active member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Westbrook where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School and served her Lord and others. Barb had the gifts of sewing, cooking and hospitality that brought a lot of joy and laughter to family, friends, missionaries and countless others through the years. Her love of reading made her grateful for and a frequent visitor of the local library.
Barbara is survived by her nine children with their spouses: Richard (Chris) Jansma of North St. Paul, Helen Jansma of Robbinsdale, Jan (Roy) Beacham of Plymouth, Beth (Charles) Waggoner of Rockford, IL, Brian (Deb) Jansma of Baxter, Sue (Mark) Davis of Marietta, GA, Steve (Sue) Jansma of Rice, Esther (Brad) Lewis of Colorado Springs, CO, Lisa (Steve) LeBlanc of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 25 grandchildren; 29 great grandchildren; and one sister, Emily Jansma, of Columbus, OH. She is preceded in death by her husband, Gerrit; her parents Arthur and Ruth Tibbits; three brothers, Charles, Arthur and John; two grandsons, Aaron and Samuel; and one great grandchild.