Gesink, Arlene (Mrs. John B.) 1942-2026

GESINK, TEBRINK, JACOBSMA

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/15/2026 at 15:12:48

Mrs. Arlene Gesink, age 83, of Orange City, passed away on Friday, July 3, 2026, at the Orange City Area Health System.

A visitation with the family present will be held on Monday, July 20, from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, at the Redeemer United Reformed Church in Orange City. There will be a funeral service on Monday, at 2:30pm, at the church with the Rev. Todd De Rooy officiating. Interment will follow the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. The Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City is in charge of arrangements.

Arlene Faye was born on September 15, 1942, in Sanborn, one of six children born to Aben and Dorothy (Te Brink) Jacobsma. She was raised in Sanborn and graduated from the Sanborn High School in 1960.

On December 24, 1960, she married John B. Gesink in Sanborn. They made their home in Orange City, where, in addition to raising their family, Arlene worked as a clerk at Korver’s 5 & 10 Store. In 1971, she began working alongside John as a custodian at Unity Christian High School in Orange City, where she especially appreciated the many connections she made with students over the years. John passed away on January 8, 2013, in Orange City, after more than 52 years of marriage. In 2015, Arlene moved to the Pioneer Memorial Home, and in 2019, she became a resident of the Prairie Ridge Care Center, both in Orange City.

Mrs. Gesink was a charter member of the Redeemer United Reformed Church and had formerly been a member of the First Christian Reformed Church in Orange City. She liked doing crafts and embroidery. In earlier years, she and John enjoyed taking their family camping, including trips to Yankton, South Dakota, as well as destinations in Missouri and Colorado. Following John’s retirement, they looked forward to spending their winters in Arizona.

Survivors include two daughters and their husbands, Dyla and Dale Bolkema; and Bonnie and Audley De Jong, all of Orange City; five grandchildren, Ross Bolkema, and his wife, Amy; Grant Bolkema, and his wife, Courtney; Luke De Jong, and his wife, Hayli; Kelley De Jong; and Kristen, and her husband, Collin Korver, all of Orange City; fourteen great-grandchildren; two sisters, Darlene, and her husband, Marlo Fedders, of Orange City; and Janice Wielenga of Orange City; a brother-in-law, Ronald Vander Plaats, of Alton; a sister-in-law, Lois Snieder, of Orange City; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by three sisters, Helen, and her husband, Rodney Vanden Brink; JoAnn Vander Plaats; and Valerie Jacobsma in infancy; three brothers-in-law, Donald Wielenga; Bert Gesink, and his wife, Sally; and Burton Snieder; three sisters-in-law and their husbands, Albertha and Albert Van Roekel; Henrietta and Henry De Jong; and Ella Mae and Henry Vander Windt; a niece, Sandra Albers; and two nephews, Lonnie Wielenga and Allen Van Roekel.

Memorials will be given to the Unity Christian High School and the Redeemer United Reformed Church, both in Orange City.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.