Jan Dirk Pereboom, 90, delighted in being out in his spacious backyard, enjoying his love of birds, trees, plants, and flowers. Until nine days before his death, one could find him there, engrossed in one project or another. He died on June 19 in St. Catharines, Ont., of natural causes.
Pereboom completed his education for the ministry at The Free University (Vrije Univesiteit) in Amsterdam, graduating in1955. His first congregation was in Pesse, Drenthe, where he ministered for six years while also doing military service as a chaplain with the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In 1955 he was married to Marietje van Apeldoorn.
In 1961 the family moved to Canada, where Pereboom served the following Christian Reformed congregations: Bethlehem CRC in Thunder Bay, Ont.; Williamsburg (Ont.) CRC; Trinity CRC in Edmonton, Alta.; Zion CRC in Pembroke, Ont.; and Rehoboth CRC in Niagara Falls, Ont.
As a pastor, Pereboom strongly emphasized the nurture of faith in young people and Christian education. His preaching explored the awesome power of God’s grace.
Pereboom retired in 1988, serving in the following years as supply or interim minister at different congregations in the region. Until the end of his life, Pereboom loved the life of the church. In retirement he was a devoted member of Jubilee Fellowship CRC and then Trinity CRC in St. Catharines.
Family was very important to Pereboom. Family reunions celebrated every five years since 1995 provided the occasion to celebrate its expansion, including 12 grandchildren and, most recently, the marriages of grandchildren. He delighted in every single addition to his growing family and made great effort to include and welcome all.
Pereboom will be missed by his wife of 60 years, Marie; by six children and their spouses: Elisabeth Pereboom-Klumpenhouwer and Henry Klumpenhouwer, Derk Pereboom and Nancy Brooks, Pieter Pereboom and Margaret Dijkhuis, Bert and Valerie Pereboom, Maarten Pereboom and Ruth Baker, Jodie Pereboom-Bomhof and Tom Bomhof; and by 12 grandchildren.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.
