Vern Jousma

Vern Jousma was my grandfather. He was born in the 1920s and grew up in Caledonia, Michigan. He was a second generation American. He may have heard his grandparents speaking Dutch or Frisian to one another when he was very young, but most likely he did not learn much of the language. I will have to ask one of his children to confirm.

Vern signed up for the draft on June 30, 1942. He was never called up. At least one of his brothers was called up. I don’t think his oldest brother, John, was called up, but I think his next oldest brother, Raymond, was called up because I see pictures of him in military uniform. If John had children and his own farm (which his draft card says he did) I imagine he was lower on the list of being called up. Raymond registered for the draft in 1941 and married his wife in 1942. As far as I know Raymond did not have a farm of his own. Since Vern was the next oldest and his father was ill he was low on the list like his brother John. One of my aunt’s told me that Vern was not called up because of a hearing issue, but possibly he was able to get that hearing issue noted so that he could stay home to take care of his father’s farm.

In the mid 1940s my grandfather married my grandmother. They ended up having 6 children, one of them being my father. They raised their children in West Michigan.

I really adore this news story I found. My dad used to take my brother and I bowling all the time when I was growing up. Little did I know that it was a family tradition. I like this paragraph:
” The Jousmas are in sixth place in the 10-team league. Their 784 team average isn’t breaking any records, but everyone in the league admits no one has more fun than the Jousmas.”

Family history told me the story of my grandfather’s death. He had just left a bar with a friend of his and they were both crossing the street. What I was told was that my grandfather pushed his friend out of the way as a car veered toward them. My grandfather was hit and I am not sure if the friend was hit, but I was told he hit his head when my grandfather pushed him. Family lore says that the drunk driver’s daughter was later maimed by a drunk driver.
Here is a brief mention of my grandfather’s death in a newspaper from the week he died:

Here is another story about Vern’s death.

Below is the notice of Vern’s funeral and also Vern’s obituary.