Nick Eelkema
Published March 15, 2004
Nick Eelkema, 86, died in Ripon, Calif., March 15, 2004. He was born in Oak Harbor May 20, 1917, to Peter and Johanna (Kooistra) Eelkema. He had lived in Ripon for the past 58 years. He operated his own almond farm in Ripon, Calif., and also worked as a materials handler for Simpson Paper Company for more than 20 years. He enjoyed reading.
Mr. Eelkema is survived by his wife, Marie Eelkema of Ripon; children, Thomas Eugene Eelkema of Oakland, Calif.; Peter Charles Eelkema of Carson City, Nev.; Joan Williams of Reno, Nev.; Gordon Eelkema of Cedarville, Calif. and Mel Eelkema of Auburn, Calif. Two brothers, Gerard Eelkema and Edward Eelkema of Oak Harbor, one sister Nell Kingma of Mount Vernon and nine grandchildren also survive.
Graveside services were held Saturday, March 20, 2004, at Ripon Cemetery. Memorial services followed at Immanuel Christian Reformed Church. Remembrances may be made to the Gideons, P. O. Box 1234, Anacortes, WA 98221.