Nancy Jo (Wenzel) Barkema, was a loving wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, and friend. Nancy passed away peacefully in the comfort of her own home on February 27, 2022, at age 62, after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer.
Public funeral services will be held Thursday, March 3, 2022, at Immanuel Reformed Church east of Belmond, IA. The Rev. David DeKuiper will be officiating. Burial will be in the Amsterdam Cemetery east of Goodell, IA.
Public Visitation will be on Wednesday at the church from 4-7 P.M. and continues one-hour prior the funeral services on Thursday. The funeral service will be live streamed on Thursday at 10:00 AM, on either the Andrews Funeral Home Facebook page or the Immanuel Reformed Church Facebook page, just LIKE either page to view.
Nancy was born to George and Mildred (Smit) Wenzel on April 17, 1959, in Belmond, Iowa. She grew up on a farm in the country outside of Belmond and graduated from Belmond High School in 1977. Nancy went on to attend college at the University of North Iowa for one year before transferring to Iowa Methodist School of Nursing in Des Moines, Iowa where she would graduate and receive her Bachelor’s of Science in May 1982.
Nancy married the love of her life, Mark Barkema, on June 26, 1982. Right after getting married, they moved to Houston, TX where she began her 40-year long career as an RN at the Texas Children’s Hospital because she had always wanted to work in a large hospital. After about nine months, they decided the city life wasn’t for them, so they moved back to Iowa where they lived on a small acreage northeast of Belmond. This is where they began their farming career and were blessed with their first born, Mindy Marie.
Nancy work at Cattleman’s, as a waitress, for a while before beginning her job at the Belmond nursing home, as a night nurse, where she met some of the most cherished people in her life and made many lifelong friendships. She also worked at Wright County Public Health in Clarion and MercyOne in Mason City during her nursing career.
The couple later settled on a farm outside of Goodell, Iowa where they were blessed with two more beautiful children, Marcus Paul, and Michelle Lynn. They were also blessed with two little angels, Megan Ann and Marissa Sue.
Nancy was and incredibly devout farm wife, when she wasn’t busy being a devoted nurse or wonderful mother, Nancy was supporting work on the farm. She worked tirelessly in the farrowing house, cooked countless meals she would deliver to the men in the field, and put in many hours walking beans or picking rocks in the fields.
Her most precious and proud job was raising her three children. The love she had for her children was indescribable and will live on in them forever. Nancy instilled in them the incredible love of God and brought them up in the church. She raised and baptized them in the Goodell United Methodist Church, where she was a member most of her life, and where she taught Sunday School for many years and spent countless hours volunteering. She raised her children to love and spread joy, taught them how to be kind to others and to spread that kindness out into the world. Nancy not only touched her family’s lives in that way, but also everyone she met or knew. She even made friendships and left an impact on the doctors and nurses who cared for her throughout her cancer journey,
Somehow Nancy still found time for quite a few hobbies, her favorite being her love for outdoor gardening and growing houseplants. Her gardens were always something out of a magazine; beautiful, flourishing, and well-tended too. Her harvest was always so bountiful. She also loved baking, canning, cross stitching, and in the last few years had enjoyed painting pottery. She often enjoyed afternoon tea with family and friends, because friendship and conversation were always a part of who Nancy was as a person and a friend. She was there for anyone who needed her, at any time, whether to talk or to embrace you with a warm comforting hug.
Nancy is survived by her loving husband, Mark Barkema, her three wonderful children, Mindy (Pete) Dahlstrom, Longmont, CO; Marcus (Josie) Barkema, Goodell, IA; Michelle (Dylan) Braly, Mead, CO; her mother Mildred Wenzel, her four sisters, Barbara (Dennis) Janssen, Peggy (Jim) Hutchinson, Lynette (Tom) Tschumper, Julie (Brad) Berneman; her brothers and sisters-in-law; Chuck McCloud, Barbara Schaefer (Tina), Keith (Sharon) Barkema, Dickie (Sarah) Barkema; her grandchildren, Maile, Jacob, Joey Dahlstrom, Weston, Joslyn Barkema, and Riley Braly, along with numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Nancy was preceded in death by her two daughters, Megan and Marissa Barkema; her father George Wenzel; her father and mother-in-law, Dick and Catherine Barkema; and her sister, Debra McCloud.
Memorials can be directed to the following organizations: Nancy Barkema Nursing Scholarship Fund, Goodell Historical Museum, Gateway Hospice, Goodell Legion, Goodell, Fire Department, or the Belmond Cheer Fund.
The family of Nancy thanks you for your support. love, friendship, prayers and love throughout the years of her life.
Andrews Funeral Homes, Belmond, IA. www.
