Donald John Boersma

Donald John Boersma

Donald John Boersma of Newton died Friday (Nov. 14, 2008) in Wichita. Don was born on July 9, 1932, in Blackwell, Okla., but his first home was in McPherson with his parents, John and Edith, and his sister, Elizabeth, then 5. The family eventually moved to Newton when Don was in seventh grade, and he spent most of his life in the area. Don grew up loving sports, especially baseball and tennis, which he played in high school. He went on to play tennis at The College of Emporia and won the Newton City Championship in the early 1950s. Some of Don's proudest accomplishments were in baseball when he played for the Wiley-McCall team in Newton. He loved to tell the story of a game at Lawrence-Dumont stadium in Wichita where he bunted for a single and then stole second, third and home.

His love of sports drew Don to coaching, so he got a degree in education, studying at The College of Emporia, Wichita University and finally Emporia State College. He went on to graduate school at The University of Kansas, where he studied under famed coach Phog Allen. Don always joked he attended four colleges 'but never got kicked out of any of them.'

During his time at KU, Don met Neoma Thiessen, also a grad student at KU. They were married in 1956, and both worked as teachers while they started their family. Their son Bill was born in 1958, followed by John in 1960. Don taught high school in both Scranton and Viola, where he also coached football and basketball.

The Boersma family was involved in a tragic car accident in 1960, where Don suffered a serious head injury. He recovered, much to the surprise of his doctors. While Don was not able to teach again, he went on to have a very productive life, raising his sons John and Bill and coaching little league baseball and basketball.

While Don had some physical and mental limitations from the accident, he was always a joy to be around, with a positive, appreciative and friendly nature. He had a sharp sense of humor and always was excited about life. He could be seen taking walks around Newton nearly every day, one of his favorite things to do. He also loved to play pinochle and bowl with friends.

Don followed the Detroit Tigers, KU Jayhawks basketball team and the Kansas City Royals. And he never missed the annual Juco basketball tournament in Hutchinson. Neoma and Don traveled extensively, including trips to Alaska, Hawaii and central Europe. They visited his family's homeland of Holland in the 1990s.

In December of 2006, Don and Neoma celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Neoma passed away on Dec. 26, 2007, after a short battle with cancer.

Don loved to visit California and attended Dodger's games with his son Bill, daughter-in-law Shelly and grandchildren Maxwell (21) and Casey (18). Bill is vice president of Summit Entertainment in Los Angeles.

Don also attended many KC Royal's games during the years. His last game there was in May 2008 with his son John to see the Royals play the Tigers. John Boersma lives in Newton and is an entrepreneur with tree farming enterprises on several locations in Harvey and Butler counties.

Don will be remembered by his family and friends as a survivor who overcame a difficult injury and went on to celebrate the joys of his life. He was a great man and an inspiration to everyone who knew him.

A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church in Newton. The Rev. James W. Anderson will preside.

Memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels or First Presbyterian Church, both of Newton. Friends may sign the book online at www.broadwaycolonialfh.com.