Bertha Bosman passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord Jesus Christ on Sunday, June 10, surrounded by her family. She was born in Holland, Minnesota, on Oct. 4, 1923 to William and Johanna (Arendsen) Scholten. On Nov. 5, 1947 she married James Bosman and the two were inseparable for over 70 years. Even though Jim will turn 99 on July 4, they both continued to live at home with full independence.
On Wednesday, June 6, while in the kitchen they bumped into each other. Both fell, breaking their hips, and both had hip surgery. Bertha died on Sunday morning and on Monday her longtime husband was moved into the Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham.
Jim and Bertha Bosman had five children: Jane (John) Schouten, Jim (Linda) Bosman, Lynne (Gerald) Baron, Judy Bosman and Mark (Jodei) Bosman. Judy died shortly after birth. Their grandchildren are Joel (Amy) Schouten, Jennifer (Alex) Young, Chris (Deborah) Baron, Geoff (Amy) Baron, Ashley (Gabriel) Rodriguez, David Bosman, Michael Bosman and Athena Bosman; and step-grandsons Will Zaragoza and Ryan Zaragoza. They also enjoyed time with many of their 16 great-grandchildren.
After moving from Minnesota in 1927, Bertha met and married Jim Bosman after he returned from the Pacific Theater in World War II. Bertha graduated from Lynden High School and attended business school. She worked for a number of years as a bookkeeper for Lynden Department Store. The family moved to a small farm on Kamm Road outside of Lynden where they milked a small herd of dairy cows while Jim also drove Milky Way milk trucks for over 30 years. She was the youngest of 10 brothers and sisters and close to nearly all of them. Her brothers and sisters and her husband always called her Babe as the baby of the family. She was the remaining member of that family.
She and Jim were lifelong members of First Christian Reformed Church and Bertha always showed strong interest in matters of faith, current political affairs and the Seattle Mariners. Her TV was either tuned to a television preacher or her favorite baseball team. While her husband and family were the center and focus of her life, she never demanded nor expected their affection or attention. After she died, it was discovered she had left her own obituary on her bed despite the suddenness of her accident. In it she wrote she loved working outdoors, with flowers, gardening and baking and canning. She wrote her family was “everything” to her.
Humility was the dominant characteristic of Bertha’s personality, even to apologizing to the doctors for putting them to so much trouble for her. Yet she was a most gracious host, insisting always on feeding anyone who came and if there was food left over she insisted her guests “finish it.” She was a very gifted baker, and her pumpkin pies were the delight of the entire family at Thanksgiving time. It is one reason most of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren say that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. Her pie crust recipe will be featured in a new cookbook written by her granddaughter Ashley (Baron) Rodriguez.
Her smile, quick laughter and total attention to the needs of others will long be remembered by her family and many friends. To her loved ones, the grace of God in her life was evident even in the accident that led to her passing and the peaceful way she left this world with her loved ones with her.
The family is planning a private burial, and a memorial service is pending. Gifts to honor her life may be offered to First Christian Reformed Church, Lighthouse Mission or Whatcom Hospice.
You are invited to share your memories and condolences in the online guestbook at www.gilliesfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Lynden.
