Tony Beltman

Tony Beltman passed on peacefully September 26, 2025, at Grace Assisted Living in Caldwell, Idaho. He is survived by his four children, Sheri Mulder (CA), Steve and Lois Beltman (ID), Stan and Chris Beltman (WA), and Tom and Tina Beltman (ID), as well as his 17 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. He gratefully lived a long and full life, passing just four weeks shy of his 101st birthday.
Tony was born to Gerrit and Tillie Beltman on September 29, 1924, in Sheldon, Iowa. As a small baby at five pounds, he was kept warm in a box by the wood-burning stove in the kitchen. Raised as a farm kid in Hospers, Iowa, he early on had chores as well as many adventures with his five siblings. He was sent to school already as a four-year-old to accompany his five-year-old sis.
As a 13-year-old, he waited excitedly by the mailbox every day to read the newspaper, as he tracked the last flight of Amelia Earhart. Though ending tragically, this began his fascination with flying. At the end of his 15th year, he began his life in California as a milker on a cousin's dairy, sending home most of his paychecks. After six months, he began milking at the Ben Teunissen dairy, making lifelong friends with the family.
His call to the army during WWII brought him to Leavenworth, Kansas, as a prison guard five days before the bomb dropped in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. Among the many prisoners, he was assigned two young German POWs, as his Dutch heritage enabled him to communicate with them.
Two years later, he made his way back to his job at the Teunissen Dairy. It wasn't long before Leona Teunissen caught his eye. After a couple years of dating, Tony and Leona married in June of 1949. Their reception was held at Knott's Berry Farm. Over the years, they gave birth to Sheri, Steve, Stan, and Tom while dairying in Artesia, CA. Always an adventurer, Tony took his young family to Alaska in a '57 Buick with a small trailer pulled behind. This epic journey was followed by many car and trailer trips throughout the years. Yellowstone was a favorite.
In 1962, they established their dairy in Chino, CA, after fixing up an older dairy. Their family was very involved in church and Christian school over the years. After 20 years of marriage to his beloved wife, Leona, a year-long battle with cancer sadly took her life. Being a protective wife, Leona did not leave before giving Tony a suggestion as to who might be another mate for him.
It wasn't long after, Tony took her suggestion and fell in love with Evelyn Platt, a family friend. This would lead to a wonderful marriage of 52 years.
At age 47, Tony pursued his lifelong dream of obtaining his pilot's license. Co-owning a small plane led to many exciting years for him and his family, flying over most of the United States.
In 1983, leaving his small dairy in Chino, Tony and Evelyn, the boys, and their families made a huge move to Stephenville, Texas, to build a dairy together. It became a reality a year later as they finished the project. Many grandchildren were born through the years during their Texas adventure; having Grandpa and Grandma nearby made for a particularly sweet time in all their lives. The church always being a high priority in Tony and Evelyn's life, they also found joy in helping establish a Christian Reformed Church, as well as a Christian school, in those years.
Their later years, 2006-2019, were spent living near their son Stan and his family in Outlook, WA. Idaho was their final move, 2019-2025, and was spent in Nampa, near their sons Steve and Tom and families. Sheri and family enjoyed many trips to Grandpa and Grandma's house over the years. Tony will always be remembered as a loving dad and grandpa, a prayerful and caring man. He lived a full life, bringing joy to his family, friends, and everyone he met.
As well as his children and families, Tony is also survived by three of his siblings: Wilma Bootsma, 102, (Harry) IA; Elmer Beltman (Stella), IA; and Gary and Alice Wiersma, MN. He was preceded in death by his brothers Jim and Joyce Beltman of IA and Bill and Kay Beltman of IA. He was survived by two of Leona's siblings, Betty Wigboldy (Richard) of ID and Art and Deanna Teunissen of CA, as well as countless nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his wife, Leona, 1970, CA; Bernice Teunissen, CA; Cal and Mina Meekhof, CA; Hank and Theresa Vanderstelt, ID; and Bern and Jane Teunissen, ID. Tony was also survived by Evelyn's siblings, Rita Noordam (Joop) of the Netherlands, Pete and Kathy Platt of CA, Rich Hoeksema (Ida) of CA, and Jack and Marilyn Platt of OR. He was preceded in death by his wife, Evelyn, 2023, ID; Tina Newhof (Ned), MI; and Ida Hoeksema (Rich), CA.