Johanna Nieuwsma, at 91 years, died in her sleep at the Strasburg Care Center on Tuesday, August 21st. A prayer service and sharing hour will be held Friday, August 24th at 7:30 p.m. at Myers Funeral Home in Linton and the funeral will be held Saturday, August 25th at 10:30 a.m. at the Strasburg Reformed Church in Strasburg. The Reverend Floyd Haan will be officiating, with interment following the service at Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Strasburg. Visitation will be held on Friday from 12:00pm to 9:00pm at the Myers Funeral Home, Linton. She dedicated her life to her family and her church. Blessed be those who die in the Lord. Johanna Antonetta (Nicolay) Nieuwsma was born August 2, 1921 in Georgeville, Minnesota. She was the oldest daughter of Johann and Christina (VandenBurg) Nicolay. She had six brothers and sisters who lived to adulthood. She moved to a farm near Lark, N.D. (Grant County) when she was two years old. The family farmed in the Lark area until she was 14 when they moved in 1935 to a farm near Hull, N.D. She made profession of faith at the Hull Christian Reformed Church at age 16. She attended rural schools through the 9th grade. In January 1941 she went to Chicago to work as a "Rosie the Riveter" at the Pullman Aircraft factory where she helped build C-47s for the war effort. At the end of World War II she returned home to North Dakota and married Peter E. Nieuwsma on November 16, 1945 at the Hull Christian Reformed Church. Peter and Johanna made their home on the "Home Sweet Home Farm" southeast of Strasburg where they raised chickens, pigs, cattle, wheat, corn and four children: John Edward (Ed), Janet (Jan), Raymond (Ray), and Mildred (Millie). Johanna always had a big garden and enjoyed cooking and entertaining friends and relatives. Sunday afternoon picnics on the farm with aunts, uncles, cousins and other guests were something to look forward to. Peter and Johanna "retired" and moved to Strasburg in 1980. They made a number of trips to Iowa, California, Virginia and Oregon, and two trips to Europe where they visited Germany, Italy, France and Holland. Johanna was an active member in the Strasburg Reformed Church where she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, was active in the Reformed Church Women's Ministries, was a Classis representative for the church women's work, and led an active inter-denominational Bible study group. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting, quilting, knitting and painting. She made beautiful quilts as wedding gifts for each of her grandchildren. She was an avid reader. Johanna was also an active volunteer at the Strasburg Care Center until she moved there as a resident on July 30, 2012. She was the Strasburg correspondent for the Emmons County Record from 1998 until August 2012. She was preceded in death by her parents, Johann and Christina Nicolay; her husband, Peter; two brothers, Rentze and John Nicolay; sister, Henrietta Senecal; brothers-in-law, Harvey Senecal, John Gerald Droog, Hartwell Stoll, John Nieuwsma, Maurice Nieuwsma and Hidde Nieuwsma; sisters-in law Annie VerHoeven, Nettie Hietbrink and Mattie Nicolay. She is survived by her children: Ed (Anne) Nieuwsma, Strasburg, ND, Jan (Russ) Melby Ames, Iowa and Ray (Christine) Nieuwsma, Strasburg; and Millie (Francis) Buekea of Beaverton, Oregon; 12 grand children: Kristin (Kieran) Murray, Rachel (Yaya) Hamidou, Brian (Shannon) Nieuwsma, Peter Buekea, Jill (Benjamin) Scheirer, David (Christie) Melby-Gibbons, Kiara (Dayne) Siex, Derek Nieuwsma, Sarah (Roy) Brooks, Christina Nieuwsma (fianc Alan Muhs), Nicholas Edward Buekea and Darin Nieuwsma; seven great grand children: Sankara Hamidou, Niema Brooks, Aaron Scheirer, Zachery Brooks, Zoe Brooks, Annelie Scheirer and Bryce Nieuwsma; sisters Grace Droog and Kay Stoll; brothers Peter (Yvonne) Nicolay, Donald (Doris) Nicolay; brothers-in-law Clarence (Marianne) Nieuwsma, Donald (Dorothy) Nieuwsma and Ralph (Eleanor) Nieuwsma; sisters-in-law Augusta (Reverend Arvin) Roos, Irene Wester, Angie Nieuwsma and Diane Nicolay.