Mr. Peter Dean Jeltema, age 65, of Orange City, passed away on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the Happy Siesta Care Center in Remsen.

There will be a funeral service on Tuesday, December 15, at 10:30am, at the Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. Robert Drenten will officiate. Interment will follow at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. Visitation will be after 4:30pm on Monday, with the family present from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

Peter Dean was born on April 28, 1944, in Lake Odessa, Michigan, the son of Peter and Lucy (Kroeze) Jeltema. As a young child, he moved to northwest Iowa with his family. He attended the Christian School and the Northwestern Academy, both in Orange City. He also served in the Army National Guard.

On April 19, 1968, he married Gladys Mae De Vries at the First Reformed Church in Orange City. After one year in Colorado, they settled at Orange City. There, he was part owner of the KerrMcGee Station until 1981. He then started Jeltema Service and Repair, which he operated until June of 2006, when he retired because of his health. He moved to Happy Siesta on November 30 of this year.

Pete was a charter member of the Immanuel Christian Reformed Church, where he had served as a deacon. He also belonged to the Pressman-Kosters American Legion Post in Orange City.

He enjoyed fishing, bowling, playing cards, softball, both playing and watching his son, and visiting with family and friends. His greatest joy, was spending time with his children and grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife of more than 41 years; a son and his wife, Allen and Pam Jeltema, of Orange City; a daughter and her husband, Leanne and Jeremy Vis, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; two grandchildren, Riley and Jordyn Jeltema; a sister and her husband, Elizabeth and Harold Bruxvoort, of Jenison, Michigan; and two brothers and their wives, Rodney and Ruth Jeltema and Gary and Anita Jeltema, all of Orange City.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his step-father, Peter Faber, and his wife's parents, Elmer and Dena De Vries.

Memorials may be directed to the Orange City Area Home Health and Hospice.