Obituary of Alice Mae Kool

Funeral services for Alice Mae Kool, 91, of Newton, Iowa, will be held 10 a.m., Saturday, April 3, 2010, at First United Methodist Church in Newton. A visitation with the family present, 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 2, at the Pence~Reese Funeral Home in Newton. Memorials may be designated in Alice's name to: the Good Samaritan Program at Park Centre and the Killduff United Methodist Church. Alice Mae Kool, the daughter of John and Altje "Alice Mae" (Sneller) Kersbergen, was born July 4, 1918, Northwest of Monroe, Jasper County, Iowa. At age 3, her family moved to (908-Lincoln) in Pella, Iowa, where she attended school through her sophomore year. In 1934, her family moved North of Monroe, and she completed high school, graduating from Monroe's High School, Class of 1936. On March 7, 1939, Alice was united in marriage with William John Kool. She and William made their home on Diamond Trail until December 1940, when they purchased a farm North of Killduff. In 1967, they moved to the Newton area. Alice had devoted her life and unconditional love to her husband and family. She was a member of the Killduff United Methodist Church. Alice was employed as an executive housekeeper at Holiday Inn, 1967 - 1988. She always put others first. Her strong and quite faith, along with her great sense of humor, wit, and positive attitude, will always be cherished by those who loved her. The memory of Alice's life will linger on and be an example for her family and those who knew her. Alice passed from this life to her new life on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at Park Centre in Newton. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, William; her great-granddaughter Promise Joy Authier; and three brothers: Gerritt, John and Neil Kersbergen. Those left to honor the memory of Alice include her three daughters: Mary (Ronald) Goecke of State Center, Iowa, Helen (Gene) Kaldenberg of Galesburg, Iowa and Joan Doran of Ames, Iowa; her four sons: Paul (Sharon) Kool of Newton, Iowa, Norman (Jackie) Kool of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, John (Phyllis) Kool of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and James Kool of Newton; her 21 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren; a sister, Alberta Munson of Monroe, Iowa; her sisters-in-law: Bettie Kersbergen of Hamilton, Kansas and Lauretta Kool of Newton; many nieces and nephews; and her good neighbors and friends.