Celia Anne Van Essen

Celia Anne Kooiman Van Essen
Was born to William P. and Gertrude (Huisken) Kooiman on April 4, 1928, on an acreage in
Edgerton, Minnesota where she attended school through the tenth grade. For the remaining
two years of high school, Celia lived with her uncle in Hull, Iowa and graduated from Western
Christian High School. On June 8, 1947, she was united in marriage to Oscar Van Essen at the
First Christian Reformed church in Edgerton. Following their marriage, they moved to Leota,
Minnesota. In 1948, they moved back to Edgerton where Celia and Oscar raised their five
children.
Celia maintained a lively home that was always a welcome haven for friends and relatives
visiting from locations far and near, from other states and countries. Celia and Oscar
themselves enjoyed travelling through all the US States and to many foreign countries, a love of
travel that their children also adopted. Together, Celia and Oscar welcomed many foreign
exchange students as extended members of their family. Besides enjoying the diversity of
locations and peoples, Celia, herself a good cook, enjoyed experimenting with sampling and
cooking different international cuisines.
Celia was a member of the First Christian Reformed Church in Edgerton where she was baptized
in May of 1928 and where she made her Profession of Faith in 1947. One of her greatest
passions was music. She served as the church organist for 40 years, and she sang in the church
Choir. As a piano and organ teacher, she helped innumerable students develop their musical
proficiencies and to extend their appreciation of music generally. She led and participated in
Coffee Break Bible Study, World Home Bible League and other church groups. She enjoyed
doing crafts of all kinds, especially knitting.
Celia and Oscar were strong supporters of Christian Education. Being herself the beneficiary of
a Christian Secondary Education, Celia promoted and supported education beyond the
Secondary Level, a gift enjoyed by all her children.
She was loved by her husband, Oscar for 65 years, who preceded her in death; and her five
children, Leon Van Essen and his wife Liz in Beaumont, Quebec, Canada, Vicki Van Essen in
Edgerton, Minnesota, Owen Van Essen and his wife Kathy in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Beth Kimm
and her husband John in Redlands, California, and Darla Simasko and her husband Jim in
Denver, Colorado and her eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.
A favorite song, “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth” (G.F. Handel), comforted and sustained
Celia over the years as it now does her family. The song is based on the Biblical texts of Job
19:25 and I Cor. 15:20. “For I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter
day upon the earth. . .But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them
that sleep.”
She was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers, Bernard, Harold and Earl
Kooiman.

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