Anna Margaret Tjarks

BRITT - Anna M. Tjarks, 87, of Britt died Wednesday (March 23, 2011) at the Good Samaritan Society in Forest City.

Funeral services will be held 1:30 P.M., Saturday at the Woden Christian Reformed Church with Rev. Harrison Harnden officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 P.M., Friday at the Cataldo Funeral Home in Britt and will continue one hour prior to services at the church.

Anna Margaret Tjarks, the daughter of Henry and Alta (Steenhard) Ahlfs, was born July 29, 1923 in Ledyard. She attended the rural schools near Buffalo Center and graduated from Buffalo Center High School in 1941. After graduation Anna taught in the rural schools near Wesley. On June 11, 1943 she was married to Henry Tjarks at the Woden Christian Reformed Church. They farmed north of Wesley on the Tjarks family farm until 1972 when they moved into Britt. Anna worked for a time in the housekeeping department at Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt. She enjoyed reading, sewing and visiting with family and friends.

She was a member of the Woden Christian Reformed Church where she taught Sunday school, was a leader of the Calvinettes and belonged to the Ladies Aid.

Anna is survived by her five children, Judy (Terry) Winters of Portage, MI, Carol Fennema of Los Gatos, CA, Vernon (Beth) Tjarks of Forest City, Janet Tjarks of Clear Lake and Deb (Doug) Potter of Joice; ten grandchildren, Mark (Jennifer) Winters, Sarah (Daniel) Reeves, Amy (Benjamin) Shawley, Daniel Winters, Benjamin (Joice) Fennema, Brandon (Katayoun) Fennema, Katie (Marc) Lipovsky, Erik Tjarks and Betsy and Lindsey Potter; five great-grandchildren, Jacob and Justin Winters and Calvin, Elisa and Joyanna Reeves; two sisters, Alice Malek of Garner and Erma Gettis of Lake Mills; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, December 12, 2009; her parents; and a son-in-law, Roger Fennema.