Joana Cornelia Pietersma, age 93 of Goodyear, AZ died September 24, 2019, in Litchfield, AZ. She was born August 6, 1926, in Medan, Indonesia to Cornelis Johan and Jacomine (Jentink) Derksen. As a Dutch citizen, Joana and her family were imprisoned in Japanese concentration camps in Indonesia during World War II. Though just a teenager, Joana survived the starvation, overcrowding, disease, and brutality that existed in the camps. Once the camps were liberated, the family was reunited and decided to return to Holland. It was while traveling on the liberation train, the final leg of their journey, that Joana met her first husband, Jan Willem Outman. After they married, the couple returned to Indonesia where they owned a bakery and an ice cream shop. The family emigrated to the US in 1958 and settled in California.
Joana worked in a variety of jobs. As a young woman, she worked for six months as a nanny in France. Later she worked for Hewlett Packard, and then as a realtor. She was employed as a bank teller for much of her life. She enjoyed flower arranging, crocheting, drawing, and often created her own greeting cards. She was an excellent cook and loved to make an Indonesian Rice Table for her family and friends. She loved to dance and enjoyed going to the Dutch Club. It was at the Dutch Club that she met her second husband, Jan Pietersma.
Gracious and thoughtful, Joana loved people regardless of their age. She had the rare ability to see the good in people and was a second mother to many of her children’s friends. She was always happy to see you and remembered all of her friends and family even when dementia took over. She was a super mom and loved to get down on the floor to play with her grandchildren.
Toward the end of her remarkable life, Joana shared this wisdom with her daughter, Irene, “Life is hard. You have to make it work,” and “Be nice to others; they will be nice to you.”
Joana is survived by her daughters, Henriette White, and Irene Phillips; sons, Stanley Outman, and Gerrit Pietersma; 10 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her two husbands, Jan Willem Outman, and Jan Pietersma; son, Remi Pietersma; and grandson, Daniel Pietersma.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm, Sunday, October 6, 2019, at Thompson Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Road, Goodyear, AZ 85338. Condolences for the family may be left below.
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