AnnaBelle Volkema

AnnaBelle Volkema lived a remarkably full life for 96 years before she died peacefully in her sleep on May 8, 2024. She was born June 2, 1927 in Long Island, Kansas, where her parents, John and Apolonia (Rupke) Kneubel, raised AnnaBelle and her three siblings on a dairy farm. 

After graduating from Long Island High School in 1945, she was eager to leave the farm life and moved to Denver. She found a job in a bank and started attending the First Christian Reformed Church, where she met her future husband, Fred Volkema, who had recently returned home after his military service in the Second World War. They were married in 1948. 

In 1952, when Fred and AnnaBelle had only been married for 4 years, and had two daughters, ages 2 and 4, they felt challenged by God’s call to work in missions in Nigeria, Africa. They entered into a three-year agreement to work on behalf of the Christian Reformed World Missions to work on building more schools to help educate the young Nigerian children. During those years, they both formed important and loving relationships with the village people they served. Shortly before they returned home, AnnaBelle gave birth to their son. 

After their return to Denver, AnnaBelle was initially focused on raising her three young children. She later entered the workplace where she worked in various administrative positions, including as an office administrator, a personnel director and as the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director of Arapahoe House, where she worked for 15 years before retiring. 

Fred and AnnaBelle were married for almost 59 years, and during those years they continued to be animated by the same impulse that led them to serve the Africans in Nigeria. An example of their commitment was the 16 years they spent volunteering at Metro Caring, where they worked every week to provide food and social support to those in need. 

Throughout her life AnnaBelle remained engaged with the world around her and she had a special gift for making good friends, whatever stage of life she was in. AnnaBelle considered her friends to be one of life’s special blessings. 

Nothing, however, was more important to AnnaBelle than the well-being of her family. She was extremely proud of her children and grandchildren, not only for their successes, but also for their core values of respecting and caring for others. 

AnnaBelle will be remembered with great affection by her family: her children, Beverly Hovenkamp, Betty Zylstra (David Baak), Ray Volkema (Kelli Kindel); her grandchildren, Arie Hovenkamp, Erik Hovenkamp (Caitlin), Erin Zylstra (Bruce Weise), Kira Zylstra (Ken Provost) and Lexy Psyhos (Andrew), as well as three great-grandchildren. 

She is survived by her brother Jerry Kneubel, in Worthington, Ohio, her brother-in-law Alvin Van Maaren in Denver, her sister-in-law Martha Volkema in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and brother-in-law Jack Van Zytveld in Grand Rapids, Michigan, along with many nieces and nephews. 

AnnaBelle was preceded in death by her beloved husband Fred, her older sister and brother-in-law, Trudie and Roy Creutzberg, her sister-in-law Sue Kneubel, her younger sister Nancy Van Maaren, her brother-in-law Art Volkema, and sister-in-law Jane VanZytveld. 

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 29, at 2 pm, at the Wellshire Presbyterian Church, located at 2999 S. Colorado Blvd. There will be light refreshments available after the service. 

In lieu of flowers, we would invite you to consider a donation to Metro Caring, an organization providing food to the hungry and working in the community to address the root causes of hunger.