John Douma

John Douma, a lifetime resident of the Chesterville area, passed away suddenly at home on Fri., Oct. 24, 2008. He was 55.
He was born in Crysler on May 14, 1953 to Jean (nee Oldenburger) and the late Wytze Douma. He was raised on the family farm along with his nine brothers and sisters, and eventually he purchased the family farm which he and his brothers Abe and Rick operated as Chestcreek Farms Ltd.
On July 12, 1975 he married Alice DePater, and together they were blessed with five children; Melissa, Jason, Aaron, Thomas, and Miranda. He was also fortunate to have had one granddaughter and four grandsons who loved to visit him on the farm and ride the six-wheeler with their Papa.
He was an avid traveller, enjoying such areas as Holland, various states and provinces, but his desired destinations were usually tropical in nature. People he met on these trips were drawn to him due to his hearty laugh, big smile, and genuine personality which was generally teasing in nature.
His love of young people was evident when he volunteered to be the president of the Winchester Jr. "B" Hawks from 2002-07. He always encouraged the players, and everyone knew they could come to him for anything. John and Alice's houme was always open to visitors, especially their friends and all of their children's friends.
John was well known to the community through 4-H, the fair board, Dairyfest committees, the milk marketing board, and farming. Recently, John could often be found at cow auctions, trying to find the next good deal. He instilled good moral values into his children and was always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. He was a man of respect and dignity and will definitely be missed by all who met him.
John is survived by his wife Alice, and children Melissa (Dennis) Daigle of Mississauga, Jason (Jenny) of Barrie, Aaron, Thomas, and Miranda all at home. He was the dear brother to Jeannie (John) Luimes of Oshawa, Harold (Mary) of Chesterville, Dorothea (Bob) Weirdsma of Peterborough, Oscar (Karen) of Pennsylvania, Abe (Janet) of Chesterville, JoAnna (Sim) Weirdsma of Peterborough, Rick (Ellen) of Brinston, George (Darlene) of Whitby, and Wes (Wanda) of Brinston. He is also survived by six grandchildren, 44 nieces and nephews, and 17 great-nieces and nephews.
Friends called at the Marsden and McLaughlin Funeral Home in Williamsburg on Mon., Oct. 27. The funeral service was held at the Williamsburg Christian Reformed Church on Tues., Oct. 28 with Rev. John Noordhof officiating, followed by interment at New Union Cemetery in Williamsburg. The pallbearers were Paul Oosterhof, Mike Bradley, Peter Guy, Ype Vanderveen, Dave Holmes, Hugh Fawcett, Marty Gillard, and Chris Johnston. The honourary pallbearers were Gord Johnson, Pat Lynch, Earl McBean, Paul Helmer, and Jim Bancroft.
Donations to Timothy Christian School or Winchester District Memorial Hospital would be appreciated by the family.