Mrs. Della Adeline Poelstra

June 8, 1929 - July 16, 2020

Della Adeline Van Laar was born on June 8, 1929 in colton, South Dakota. She Was the youngest child and only daughter of Albert and Grace (Zeinstra) Van Laar. She was the apple of their eye. When she was 13, the family moved to California around 1942. She went to Excelsior High School. She loved to go roller skating at the Hippodrome in Long Beach with friends. Sometimes they hopped on a bus to get there. A friend introduced her to Clarence Poelstra. He was from South Dakota visiting his Aunt Anna Claussen. They started dating and soon fell in love. They were married in September of 1948 and lived in a small house in Bellflower those first few years. Their first child, Lindy, was born in 1949. They moved to a home in Lakewood. Three and a half years later, their son, Ron was born. Della and Clarence spent over 60 years in that home. Della was an excellent cook and baker. Her coconut cream pie was hard to beat. She brought in extra money by working as a waitress in the Dutch Cafe in Bellflower when Lindy was a baby. Later she babysat little ones in their home. Then she waitressed for over 30 years at Henry Moffett's Chicken Pie Shop in Bellflower. She was a hard worker and enjoyed visiting with customers. She and Clarence dd some traveling, visiting family in South Dakota. Their favorite destination was the Hawaiian Islands where they went seven times. They especially loved the Big Island around the Kona area. They told many happy stories about the islands. When their son and family moved to Colorado, they visited countless times to spend time with the grandchildren. Della loved the Lord in her own quiet way. She and Clarence attended Bethel Reformed Church for over 60 years. Her favorite little book was "Jesus Calling". She read it countless times. In her later years, precious times were spent with Pastor Mike when he would visit and they would share their faith and life experiences. She is survied by Lindy (Dan) Van Meeteren and Ron (Donna) Poelstra in Colorado; 3 grandchildren: Joseph Poelstra, Adam Poelstra and Annie Myers; and 4 great-grandchildren: Weston and Sawyer Poelstra, Hailey and Joshua Myers. Della was an excellent wife, mother and grandmother. She will be dearly missed. We look forward to being with her and dad again. Private services were held at Artesia Cemetery on July 22, 2020.