Phil Bloem, 71, of New Sharon, entered into glory with our Heavenly Father surrounded by his loving wife of 49 years and four daughters on Sun-day, Sept. 15, 2019, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at New Sharon First Christian Church. Burial with military honors will be held in the Friends Cemetery in New Sharon. Visitation will begin after noon on Friday, Sept. 20, at New Sharon First Christian Church with the family present to greet friends and relatives from 5-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
Phil Melvin Bloem, son of Melvin and Sara (Schinkel) Bloem, was born Apr. 25, 1948, in Oskaloosa. He lived on the family farm until he was drafted into the United States Army, serving his time in Vietnam. Though there was a lot of unrest, Phil very proudly served his country for two years. After he was honorably discharged, Phil married Carrie Ann Veenstra on July 24, 1970, in Peoria. They had just celebrated their 49th anniversary and looked forward to celebrating their 50th next summer. Phil was a proud dad to four daughters: Missi, Lori, Rochele, and Katie. He loved his family and grandkids and enjoyed being outside or working in his wood shop. Phil also loved his community and worked at the New Sharon Co-op for 45 years, retiring in 2015. Phil professed his faith in Jesus Christ as a young man and lived his life accordingly. He was a faithful member of New Sharon First Christian Church where he served several years as an elder. Phil was involved in Children Ministries for over 30 years. He was the current commander of the Coffin-Miller American Legion Post #446 where he was a member for several years.
Phil is survived by his wife Carrie Ann and their girls and families: Missi (Jamie) Bogaard of Lynnville, and their family: Tyler (Bailey) Bogaard, Isabella (Isaac) Collins, and Andrea Bogaard; Lori (Ryan) Eekhoff of Britt, and their family: Marissa, Wyatt, and Alizabeth; Rochele (Brent) DeRuyter of Lynden, WA, and their family: Blake, Grant, Taya, and Jadyn; and Katie (Ben) Andrews of New Sharon, and their family: Josina and Lucas Nunnikhoven and Madison and Trevor Andrews. He is also survived by his sister Twila (Gaylord) DeJong of New Sharon; his brother, Rex (Sandy) Bloem of Indianola; brothers-in-law, John (Betty) Veenstra, Marvin (Ardi) Veenstra, Charles (Marlene) Veenstra, Bernie (Nella) Veenstra, and Ed Veenstra.
Phil was preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law, sister-in-law Deb Veenstra, and great-nephew Nash Bloem.
