Mr. Wilbur Wiersma, age 80, of Orange City, passed away on Monday, December 21, 2009, at his residence.

There will be a memorial service on Sunday, December 27, at 1:30pm, at the Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. David Heilman will officiate.

Visitation with the family will be on Saturday, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, with a prayer service at 3:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City. Interment will follow at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City.

Wilbur John was born on July 29, 1929, in Orange City, the son of Dewey and Alice (Geurink) Wiersma. He was raised in Orange City, where he attended the Christian School and Northwestern Academy and College. He also attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He then served four years in the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict.

On September 14, 1951, he married Mary Louise Vander Moere in Grand Rapids. They lived at Shreveport, Louisiana, while he was in the military. They then moved to Le Mars, where he was a poultry specialist at a hatchery. In 1963, they settled on the southwest edge of Orange City, where he operated an egg plant and was a farmer.

Mr. Wiersma was currently a member of the Calvary Christian Reformed Church. In earlier years, he was very active in the Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Le Mars. He served as a Sunday school teacher and council member and traveled to Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico for mission projects.

He enjoyed animals, raising llamas, goats, and sheep. After retiring from the egg farm, he and Mary liked to travel, spending winters in Texas. In addition, he helped with the Hope Haven Wheelchair Ministry in Orange City.

Survivors include his wife of more than 58 years; five children and thirteen grandchildren, Ruth (Terry) Huizingh, of Denver, Colorado, and their sons, Jonathan Huizingh, Ryan (Sarah) Huizingh, and Devin Huizingh; Paul (Joyce) Wiersma, of Summerland, British Columbia, and their children, Sharon (Kurt) Vos, and two great-grandchildren, Meghan and Layne Vos, Rachel (Mark) Peters, Carla Wiersma, and Daniel Wiersma; Joyce Wiersma, of Denver; Bruce (Mary) Wiersma, of Orange City, and their children, Angela Wiersma and Travis Wiersma; and Dean (Judy) Wiersma, of Fort Collins, Colorado, and their sons, Andy (Jenny) Wiersma, Steve Wiersma, Matt Wiersma, and Joel Wiersma; three brothers, Ralph (Emilie) Wiersma, of Denver; Glenn (Joyce) Wiersma, of Odessa, Texas; and Lee Dale Wiersma, of Rock Valley; and his wife's brother and sister, James (Bea) Vander Moere and Martha Stuits, all of Grand Rapids.

Memorials may be directed to the Hope Haven Wheelchair Ministry.