Mrs. Wilma Nibbelink, age 70, of Orange City, passed away on Sunday, October 25, 2009, at the Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.

There will be a memorial service on Thursday, October 29, at 1:30pm, at the Redeemer United Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. Todd De Rooy will officiate. Interment will be prior to the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. There will be a prayer service on Thursday, at 12:30pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

Visitation will be after 4:00pm on Wednesday, with the family present from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at the funeral home.

Wilma Joan was born on February 8, 1939, at Alton, the daughter of William and Florence (De Jong) Smit. She was raised at Alton and Orange City, where she graduated from the Christian School. She also graduated from the Western Christian High School in Hull. She then went on to the Lutheran School of Nursing in Sioux City for three years, graduating with her registered nursing degree.

On November 14, 1961, she married William Nibbelink in Orange City. They first made their home in Orange City and several other Sioux County towns. Then they moved to Waterloo and just last year returned to Orange City.

She spent one year as a missionary nurse in Rehoboth, New Mexico. Her first employment was at the Orange City Municipal Hospital, and then she was a homemaker, raising her family. Later, she worked in several nursing homes and hospitals, wherever the couple lived. With a special place in her heart for children, she particularly liked her time assisting at a day care center in Waterloo.

Mrs. Nibbelink was a member of the Redeemer United Reformed Church, where she enjoyed Christian fellowship. She appreciated the simple things in life, such as God's nature and being with family and friends. She was always willing to lend a helping hand to others.

Survivors include her husband of almost 48 years, “Bill”; five children and their spouses, Kim and Tim Foreman, of Sioux Center; Bill and Nina Nibbelink, of Cedar Falls; Heidi and Howard Van Wyhe, of Hills, Minnesota; Chad and Sara Nibbelink, of Lino Lakes, Minnesota; and Angie and Mark Den Besten, of Boyden; fifteen grandchildren; two sisters and their husbands, Karen and John Anema and Darlene and John Van Ee; and a brother and his wife, Ron and Twila Smit.

She was preceded in death by her parents.