Bertha Runia

 Bertha Mae Runia age 92 of Ocheyedan, Iowa passed away Thursday, January 23, 2025 Country View Manor in Sibley.

 A prayer service will take place at 9:30 AM, Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at the Christian Reformed Church in Ocheyedan with burial to follow the prayer at Ocheyedan Township Cemetery.

 A memorial service will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, January 28th at the Christian Reformed Church in Ocheyedan with Pastor Lee Khang, officiating.  You may view the service on Ocheyedan CRC Facebook Page.

 Visitation will be Monday, January 27th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM with the family present at the Jurrens Funeral Home in Ocheyedan.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Wycliffe Ministry Lauren & Connie Runia ID#222804, or send to: Wycliffe Bible Translators P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8200 and indicate "Preference for the ministry of Lauren & Connie Runia-member #222804.

Bertha Mae (Feenstra) Runia, entered into the arms of her loving Savior, Jesus Christ on Thursday, January 23, 2025

She was the daughter of Tom and Clara (Soodsma) Feenstra, born on May 16, 1932, on the farm near Bigelow, MN. 

Bertie grew up in a small house on her grandparents’ farm. She attended first grade at a country school near Worthington, MN. In second grade, she transitioned to the public school in Worthington. Her father was a prominent auctioneer in the area and co-owned the Worthington Sale Barn. 

In 1939 the family moved to Sibley, IA. Bertie completed grades three through eight at the Sibley Public School. She completed high school at Western Christian High in Hull, IA. 

When Bertie was 16 years old, she met Peter C. Runia at a 4th of July picnic at Uncle Renzie’s (R.J.Dykstra) farm. It was a combined picnic of the Sibley and Bigelow churches (located where Corey Slaagter now lives). That evening Peter took Bertie to fireworks in Rock Rapids, IA, but she had to be home by 10:30 p.m. Peter then went back to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI., and started writing and sending her letters.

After graduating from high school in 1949, Bertie attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. However, she left college after two years and returned home following the death of her father.

Bertie taught at the Sibley Christian School, which was in the church basement. She taught grades K-8. In her second year of teaching, the school moved to a new building with two classrooms and two bathrooms. Bertie not only taught all eight grades but also served as the school janitor. She had 28 students and one assistant. She taught students in every grade, with nine in the first grade alone. To manage, she relied on older students to assist her. The new school did not have any grass around it and keeping it clean was a never-ending job. Bertie stated, I don’t think those kids learned anything from me, Miss Feenstra

Peter and Bertie were married on June 3, 1953. In the fall they moved to Hull, IA where Peter taught science and Latin at Western Christian and Bertie supervised study hall and taught physical education. They taught at Western for two years and then moved to their farm south of Ocheyedan.

Bertie was known for her hospitality. She loved to set a fancy table and have people over. If someone new showed up in church she would invite them for noon lunch, even if she did not know what she was going to feed them. In 1978 she started an annual “widows and singles luncheon”. Each luncheon had a theme that she would work on all throughout the year. 

Bertie was a long-time member of the Ocheyedan Christian Reformed Church, where she was involved in many committees and activities. Pete and Bertie served on the Evangelism committee and were involved for many years with the Clay County fair booth in Spencer, IA.

Pete and Bertie rarely missed an activity of their children: drill team performances, music concerts, Praise Team performances, and lots of basketball games thanks to Corey. The road to Hull was well traveled. As their children became adults Pete and Bertie had many summer vacations to the west coast to see their children and grandchildren who moved to Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.

Bertie had only one sibling, her sister, Lois. In their later years of life Pete and Bertie would visit Lois (Loie) every Sunday evening for a meal and night of games. 

Bertie loved her home in the country. Her favorite pastime was feeding and watching birds. 

In September of 2023 Bertie fell and fractured her hip. After spending eight days in the hospital, she moved into Country View Manor in Sibley, IA. Peter, not wanting to be apart from Bertie, also moved into the nursing home where they were able to have a room together.

Peter and Bertie raised five children: Carla, Lauren, Calvin, Lynelle, and Corey. Corey was born when Mom was 43 years old. Corey often reminds his siblings that Mom once stated that having him was the best thing that could have ever happened in her life.

Left to cherish her memory are her husband of 72 years, Peter Cornelius Runia; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Katherine and Leroy Hanenburg, Lois Cuperus, Esther DeBoer, Alvin and Mary Runia; her five children and their spouses, Carla and Doug Vande Griend (Salem, OR), Lauren and Connie Runia (Bozeman, MT), Calvin and Teri Runia (Newberg, OR), Lynelle and Phil Swenson (Ocheyedan, IA), Corey and Jen Runia (Orofino, ID); 18 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews and their families.

She was preceded in death by her parents Tom and Clara Feenstra; mother-in-law and father-in-law Grace and Cornelius Runia; sister and brother-in-law Lois and Ervin Wolfswinkel; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Gertrude (Willliam Greenfield) and Elmer Hibma, John and Joan Runia, Erwin Cuperus, Charles DeBoer, Arlan and Eunice Wiekamp; one niece, three nephews, and two great grandchildren.