Phyllis Darlene Jelsma's Obituary
Phyllis Darlene Jelsma, age 87, formerly of Clio, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines.
Phyllis was born on August 17, 1935, at home in Wayne County, Iowa, the daughter of Paul Joseph and Margie Ethel (Barber) Jackson. Phyllis was united in marriage to Garold Ivan Jelsma on March 15, 1952, in Leon, Iowa. They were blessed with two children, Randy and Lorri.
Together, Garold and Phyllis raised their family on the family farm near Woodland. Phyllis was employed by Green Valley AEA for over 30 years as a speech therapy aide working in many different schools with children from preschool age to high school age. In 1996, the couple left the farm behind and moved to Clio to spend their retirement years. One of Phyllis' favorite hobbies was embroidery. She lovingly hand stitched many embroidered quilts to give as baby gifts over the years.
Left to cherish Phyllis' memory are her children, Randy (Stacey) Jelsma of Fort Dodge, and Lorri (Alan) Eastin of Ankeny; grandchildren, Tina Garber of Pollock, Missouri, Leah Jelsma of Corydon, and Cody Eastin of Des Moines; great-grandchildren Adriana (Ajia) Garber of Des Moines, Gabriel Garber of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Jasmine and Marleah Garber of Pollock, Missouri; sister Sherryl Selby of Allerton; brother-in-law, Keith (Janet) Jelsma of Decatur City; as well as several nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, Garold Jelsma; her parents, Paul and Ethel Jackson, sisters, Wilma Johnson and Charlene Salsberry; brothers-in-law, Harold Jelsma, Kenneth Jelsma, Dean Jelsma, Darwin Snook, Darrell Adair, Gene Salsberry, Wesley Selby and Phil Johnson; sisters-in-law, Lucille Snook, Wilma Adair, and Reva Negley.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Thomas Funeral home in Corydon, Iowa with Josh Appel officiating. Burial will follow the service at Evergreen Cemetery in Lineville. Visitation will take place Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Thomas Funeral Home in Corydon, with the family greeting friends from 11:00 am to 1:00 PM. Memorials may be written in honor of Phyllis to either the Prairie Trail Museum of Wayne County or Wayne County Hospital, and may be mailed to Thomas Funeral Home, ATTN: Jelsma family, P.O. Box 294, Corydon, Iowa 50060. Condolences may be shared online at www.thomasfh.com or on our funeral home Facebook page. Phyllis service can be lived streamed at https://my.gather.app/remember/phyllis-jelsma
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