Reka (Zylstra) Poole went home to be with her Lord and Savior early Thursday morning, April 23, 2009. Reka was born in Rijssen in the Dutch province of Overijssel on August 3, 1909 to Hendrick and Lena Baan. She had two sisters, Johanna and Annie and two brothers, Harry and Albert, all of whom preceded her in death. Along with her parents and sister, Reka left Holland in March 1910 and traveled to Liverpool, England. There, they took passage aboard the New Amsterdam and left for Halifax, Canada. The journey concluded when they boarded the “immigration train” for Monarch, Alberta. After arriving in Monarch, Reka’s father worked on the railroad and claimed their homestead.
During these first years in Canada, Reka and her family lived in a sod house where she recalled her father heating flat rocks on the old iron stove to warm their feet in bed. They stayed in Monarch for only a few months before moving on to Medicine Hat. After seven years of drought, Reka moved with her family and a large group of Dutch settlers to Wisconsin. Shortly after that move, her family was invited by a minister in Oak Harbor to come and farm this “Holland like” island. Reka remembers one of her first jobs in Oak Harbor was “candling” turkey eggs on the old city dock at the Dock Farmer’s Co-op. She often spoke of the Steamships Calista and Whidbey as they delivered goods to Oak Harbor on a weekly basis.
Reka married her first husband, Riekel “Reke” Zylstra, in 1931 at the age of 22. They began their life together in Oak Harbor where they ran the farm where the Roller Barn stands today. In 1934, they had their one and only child, Theodore Delano Zylstra.
Ted followed in the footsteps of his great uncle, James Zylstra, and became one of Island County’s finest lawyers. Although “Uncle Jim” was the first prosecuting attorney on the island, Ted elected to pursue a career as a private practice attorney in Oak Harbor. Sadly, Ted was killed in a plane crash in 2001, the day after the 9/11 attack on this nation.
In the early 1930’s, Reka, Reke and Ted moved to Plain, Wash., outside of Leavenworth, where they ran a dairy farm on the Chumstick Creek. A few years later they finally settled permanently in Oak Harbor where Reka opened the Empress Style Shop. Since this was the only shop where a woman could buy hosiery and other “necessaries,” she did quite well! She later worked in the Oak Harbor Pioneer Department Store. She also volunteered as a Red Cross member during World War II.
Reka was a long-time, active member of the First Reformed Church in Oak Harbor. In fact this lovely church is one of many structures that she helped build along with her carpenter husband.
Reka loved nature! She was often known to have carried fishing line and hooks in her purse and it was rumored that she could catch a trout in a mud puddle. She loved baking favorite treats like Dutch Olie Bollen and homemade bread and freshly picked wild berry pies. During one of her many wild huckleberry outings on Mount Baker, she recalls having a wonderful chat with her husband, Reke. After several minutes and some frustration, she finally stood up to ask why he wasn’t speaking. To her surprise, Reke was at the bottom of the hill. Reka had filled a wild black bear with ten minutes worth of oratory. Reka was an avid reader and writer, capturing her thoughts in an amazing journal. Reka loved to sing hymns in her spare time along with anyone who would be willing to join her. There were many Sunday nights spent eating watermelon and having “sing-alongs” in her home.
After the death of her beloved husband in 1978, Reka married Rolfe Lewis Poole in 1979. Together, they spent the winter months living in Quartzsite, Ariz., where they enjoyed many years of sunshine filled days hiking, picnicking, and fishing. Both Reka and Rolfe enjoyed singing in the choir and hosting tea time on Sunday afternoons. In the summer months, Reka and Rolfe enjoyed camping and fishing at Pearrygin Lake near Winthrop. After Rolfe died in 1999, Reka lived on her own for several years before spending her final years at Fairhaven Adult Home in Oak Harbor. She loved pampering the animals, collecting eggs from the chickens and watching the birds play in the trees outside her window.
At 99 years of age, she has seen history in the making.
The most important aspect of Reka’s life was her living faith. She had a genuine love and adoration for the Lord Jesus Christ. Her favorite passage was Psalm 121. She never came across as judgmental or condescending. She truly mirrored God’s grace to everyone she met and loved.
Her family was her life. We were all looking forward to her 100th birthday in August, but we celebrate her life that she now lives in the presence of her Lord. The legacy she has left behind in her unyielding love and devotion for her family will continue in her surviving grandchildren and great grandchildren. Reka is survived by her granddaughter, Deborah Skinner and Debbie’s husband, Chris of Oak Harbor as well as her grandson, Bradley Zylstra and his wife, Melissa of Renton. Reka was blessed with four great grandchildren: Paul and Justin Skinner and Rachel and Benjamin Zylstra.
The following quotes are only two of dozens of meaningful truths that Grandma (Reka) left behind in her journals:
“The words, ‘love is sacrifice’ have their full meaning, for we sacrifice our time and our strength so willingly and gladly for those who mean so much to us.”
“We are a little like fledglings who have never tried the strength of their wings. Until we really test our own faith, we don’t know how strong it is.”
Visitation will be at Burley’s Funeral Home from 4:30 to 7:30 pm on Monday, April 27. A graveside service will take place at Maple Leaf Cemetery at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April, 28. Please join us for a celebration of her life at the First Reformed Church in Oak Harbor at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 28.
Memorials can be sent to the First Reformed Church in Oak Harbor, for its outreach ministries: 250 Southwest 3rd Ave. Oak Harbor, Washington 98277.
