Cornelia Kiewiet

Cornelia Vierstra De Kiewiet , 81, of Buhl, Idaho, passed into the arms of Jesus on Sunday, August 17, 2014, with her loving family surrounding her, at St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Corrie was born on March 13, 1933, in Stiens, Friesland, Netherlands to George and Helen Vander Vegt. She was the oldest of five children. Her siblings were Martha (Neil) Kasbergen, Tulare, California, Agnes (Hans) Vander Meer, Twin Falls, Idaho, George (Irene)Vander Vegt, Jerome, Idaho and Hilda (Corey) Bouma, Cyprus, California. As a child, she loved to ice skate on the canals and won lots of races. Her favorite memories are of her life in Holland of which never left her heart. She loved to travel there to visit her family and friends.
Her family immigrated to California in 1948, after World War II, when she was 15 years old. The family landed in Hoboken, New Jersey, and made their way to California to start a dairy farm in Artesia, California. In her early years in California, she worked for many families, doing housekeeping and laundry. These families taught her many things, of which she always remembered. She would live with the families during the week and then come home to her family on the weekends.
When she was 19, she met Norman Vierstra at an ice skating rink and fell in love. They married on March 27, 1952 in Paramount, California. As they made their new life together, in Artesia, they began their family of six children, Helen (John) Werner of Buhl, Henri (Doug) Goff of Buhl, Michael (Angie) Vierstra of Twin Falls, Gertie (David) Heck of Buhl, Marlene (Robin) Quigley of Buhl, and Cheryl Vierstra of Buhl. Norman and Corrie later moved to Norwalk, and in 1960, they moved to Chino, California to start their own dairy, which they operated for 11 years. In 1971, they made the move to Buhl, Idaho to build a dairy of their own. They bought a home and land on 1600 E and build the dairy farm that she resided on until Present. Norman passed away, after 43 years of marriage in 1995.
Corrie loved to knit and crochet and loved to make socks and slippers for everyone. She also made many beautiful afghans and Christmas stockings. She was always proud of keeping her garden beautiful and enjoyed the tulips every spring. She kept an impeccable house and also worked to keep house for many special people over the years. One special family was the family of Margaret Vincent, whom she called a special friend, and worked for 25 years. Corrie was also very giving and had a big heart. When new people came to the area looking for dairy property, she opened her house to them on many occasions so they could look for dairy opportunities. She loved to entertain and had her friends over for company often. Having her grandchildren for tea was also a special treat she liked to share.
Her strength and convictions were admired by many. Her loyalty to her church and her friends was unbreakable. She spoke her mind and you always knew where things stood with her.
Her children were her greatest joy, and then came the grandchildren, of which she had 23. She also had 24 great-grandchildren. She was so proud of all of them and their accomplishments.
Ten years after the passing of Norman, she met and married the second love of her life, Jacobus (Koos) De Kiewiet, of Wendell, on January 20, 2005. Together, they made a home on the dairy and enjoyed more than 9 years of marriage. To this union, four more children were joined into Corrie's life and loved as her own; Jerry (Linda) De Kiewiet, Carla (Ric) Gailey, Diane (Wayne) Creech and John (Denise) De Kiewiet, and more grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Koos and Corrie had such a wonderful life together. The love they had for each other was so precious and so evident. They had such wonderful times together and we will always love and cherish that the love they shared was one of great joy to them and to us.
Corrie was preceded in death by her husband, Norman Vierstra; her parents, George and Helen Vander Vegt; her brother, George Vander Vegt; sister-in-law, Gertrude Smit, and her brother-in-law, Hans Vander Meer. She is survived by her husband, Koos De Kiewiet, and her and Koos's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We want to especially thank the nurses and doctors at St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center for their hospitality and support during this difficult time. They were so caring and gracious to our family.
A viewing will be from 5 to 7 pm, Thursday, August 21, 2014 at Farmer Funeral Chapel, Buhl, Idaho. A private graveside ceremony for family will be held at Buhl's West End Cemetery on Friday, August 22, 2014, followed by a memorial service to be held at 11:30 AM at the Twin Falls Reformed Church, Pole Line Road, Twin Falls, Idaho, with a luncheon following.