Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Ida was for me a great mentor and support. When I was stationed at Ft. Ord, as an enlisted non com, I often came to visit Ida and family on weekends. Ida was a loving, caring hard worker. With limited formal schooling, she yet managed a million dollar operation and kept up a warm and loving home and spread good cheer and well wishing her whole life long. Inspite of many hours of hard work she yet found time to devote to her special interest as an artist. She got some guidance and support from a local Dutch painter and she set to work to produce great oil paintings. She loved antigues and freqented estate sales to find just that perfect cooking ware which she then made available to loved ones. She had a heart of gold and invested herself tirelessly to her family and many friends. She was significantly involved in the church sanctuary beautification for the uplift of worshipping community. She had a fantastic sense of the 'appropriate' and what was 'acceptable'. During her early eighties she managed to devote her strong eyes for sight reading music and translate it in improvisations of ballads, hymns and songs which clammored to be heard once more. She truly was one 'terriffic lady'. Ida, and her late husband Helmuth, were born 'self starters' and yet had taken some training in 'motivational skills'. From sticks and stones they produced an enviable pummice stone plant just as California was experiencing a growth boom which has not slowed. Ida and Helmuth were just made of tough stuff and they demonstrated what America is all about. Ida had not only a great mind and spirit, but she had a great heart and she joins of innummerable host of those 'of whom the world was not necessarily worthy.' Ida leaves a great legacy of 'hope, undimmed by hopelessness'; 'trust when things were rife with despair'; and 'love to fill and ocean.'
