Obituary of Marianne Nieuwsma

Marianne Nieuwsma 1925-2014 Marianne Nieuwsma went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, October 1, 2014, at 8:00 p.m., in San Jose, California. She was 88. Her memorial service will also commemorate her husband of 65 years, Clarence, who passed away a week after her on Wednesday, October 8. Services will be held in the Chapel at Lincoln Glen Manor, 2671 Plummer Ave, San Jose, CA, on Sunday, October 19, at 2:30 p.m. Marianne was born to Max and Myra Gamble on December 15, 1925, in the town of Bassano, Alberta, Canada. She and her siblings Darrel and Caryl (twins), Norman, Jeanne, and Donna, grew up on a farm in Alberta. Marianne always had fond memories of riding to school on horseback. As an active girl, she loved the outdoors, playing softball and skiing with a rope pulled by her horse, Tony. After graduating high school at Prairie Bible Institute on May 24, 1943, Marianne embarked on a great adventure, traveling to Southern California to attend the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA), now Biola University, where she earned a Missionary Medicine Certificate and graduated in 1948. While at Biola, Marianne met Clarence Nieuwsma, a WWII veteran from North Dakota who was completing his education after serving in the Army Air Corps as a pilot. The two married on March 11, 1949, in Bellflower, California, and then journeyed to Siloam Springs, Arkansas to attend John Brown University in preparation for overseas mission service. In 1952, the Nieuwsmas moved to the Philippines in Southeast Asia to work in church planting with the Far Eastern Gospel Crusade, now SEND International. For twenty-five years, the island nation was their home. Along the way they added a daughter and five sons to the family. Their home in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, was a hub of activity, open to all in need. Marianne supervised a busy schedule for her six children, who all learned musical instruments and participated in a variety of sports and school activities. She also became proficient in the Tagalog language and played the accordion, accompanying her husband Clarence on the guitar. In her neighborhood, she led Bible studies and hosted many social gatherings. After returning from her years of missionary service in the late 1970s, Marianne attended Keizer Community College in Salem, Oregon, obtaining her degree and a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) certificate. Until the year 2000, she worked as a nurse in various capacities; in Pediatrics at the Naval Hospital in San Diego; at the Capitol Manor retirement community in Salem as a Charge Nurse, and then as a private nurse. In 2008, the Nieuwsmas moved to Lincoln Glen Manor in San Jose, where as always, Marianne made friends with everyone she met. Despite the physical challenges she faced in her last chapter of life, Marianne continued to show love, interest, and concern for every person she encountered, while assisting her husband Clarence in ministry in their new community in California. Marianne and Clarence leave behind their six children and their spouses: Craig and Myra (Nieuwsma) Gruenberg, Tim and Ginny Nieuwsma, David and Janie Nieuwsma, Duane and Christianne Nieuwsma, Darrell Nieuwsma, and Brian Nieuwsma. She will be greatly missed by her 15 grandchildren: Esther Skelley Jordan, Jeremiah Gruenberg, and Miliana Gruenberg Johnson; Annie Swehla, April Pierce, Allison, Ted, John, and Andrew Nieuwsma; Victoria, Alexandra, Sophia, and Anastasia Nieuwsma; and Sarah and Themba Nieuwsma. She also leaves eight great-grandchildren: Donnie Jordan; Jane and Ella Johnson; and Dimas, Debora, Thomas, Peter, and Nicholas Swehla. In memory of Clarence and Marianne, gifts may be made to: Keizer Community Church 380 Churchdale Ave. Keizer, OR 97303 or Lincoln Glen Manor 2671 Plummer Ave. San Jose, CA 95125