Margery Bakker, 91, of Sioux Falls, SD, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls. Funeral services were at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 17, at George Boom Funeral Home in Sioux Falls. Graveside services were at West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. Memorials may be directed to World Renew.
Margery Ann (Ross) Bakker was born Dec. 3, 1931, to William and Grace (Hook) Ross. She was raised during the Depression on her parents’ farm—first in Wellsburg and then in Dike. She graduated from Dike High School in 1949 and then attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, for one year. Following that, she taught in a country school (all eight grades) in Grundy County for one year. The summer after that, she married her high school sweetheart Paul Bakker on June 21, 1951. They moved to Grand Rapids, MI, where Paul was attending Calvin Seminary to become a Christian Reformed pastor.
Five children were born to this marriage—four girls and one boy. Their pastoral vocation took them throughout the Midwest, where they served churches in Plainfield, MI; New Holland, SD; Grand Rapids, MI; Sully, IA; Rock Valley, IA; Byron Center, MI; Oskaloosa, IA; and Luverne, MN. After retiring, they moved to Orange City.
Marge was a wonderful pastor’s wife. She was friendly but not overbearing, letting Paul do the church work while she took care of the home and the family. She was a very talented seamstress, making most of the girls’ clothes from infancy through high school. She was a wonderful mother—patient, kind, and never complaining when Paul was gone most evenings. Every move was considered a new adventure for the family due to mom’s positive attitude. However, the kids were never allowed to take many keepsakes along on the moves, because the moving van was too expensive. She definitely knew how to get rid of “stuff,” and the kids have followed her example.
When Paul and Marge retired, they started spending their winters in Mesa, AZ. They owned a park model in Orangewood Shadows, which became their second home and where they spent a lot of time with their winter “family.” They enjoyed 22 years there together until Paul passed away in 2016. Marge continued to spend her winters there until 2021. In 2018, she moved from Orange City to Washington Crossing in Sioux Falls. She enjoyed her apartment there, playing games with residents, and spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Since her move to Sioux Falls, she was a member of the Shalom Christian Reformed Church.
Left to cherish the memory of a most wonderful mother, grand-mother, and great-grandmother are her four daughters and one daughter-in-law: Arloa (Kurt) Harthoorn, Kathy Kroeze, Jan (Harlan) Dirksen, Beth (Leon Wassenaar, Lynne Bakker; 14 grandchildren; and 43 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters Marian Langenberg and Pat (Bob) Abels.
Marge was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Paul; her son Doug; her grandson Shane De Jong; two sisters Mavis Meester and Berniece Groote; and numerous siblings-in-law.
Those who are left will cherish her memory forever. She was truly a good and faithful servant. What a great mom, grandma, and great-grandma. We couldn’t have loved her more!
