Eileen Marie (Bauermeister) Tjeerdsma, 61 years of age, died from liver cancer on Thursday, Sept. 14,
2023 at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
Eileen was born April 5, 1962 in Omaha, Nebraska to the late Roy and Helen (Lund) Bauermeister. She was the youngest of three sisters and lived on the family farm near Arlington, Neb. Eileen was educated in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church School and Arlington High School. She studied at Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb., for one year, then transferred to and graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., where she was active in choir and a popular lead in music performances.
Eileen married Jan Tjeerdsma in 1988 and they had two daughters. She was a beloved vocal music and TAG teacher in Shelby-Tennant, Boyden-Hull, Sutherland, Cherokee and Sioux Central School Districts, all in Iowa.
She retired in 2017.
Eileen’s beautiful voice brought joy and comfort to many wedding and funeral attendees. Her school music programs were legendary and “Miss B” and “Mrs. T” was dearly loved by her students.
She loved Jan and her girls beyond measure, and she was adored by her sisters’ grandchildren for whom she was a second grandma.
Eileen was preceded in death by her parents. Cherishing her loving memory are her husband, Jan; children, Katherine (Kate) Betzel (Filipe) and Mary (TJ) Tjeerdsma; sisters, Brenda Groelz (Ned) and Nancy Penna (Gary); aunt, Edna Scheneman; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and great-nieces and -nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at First Lutheran Church, 3200 E Military Ave, Fremont, NE. Graveside services at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Omaha will be at 1:30 p.m.
Visitation will be Thursday, Sept. 21 at the Ludvigsen Mortuary Chapel in Fremont from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the family present from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A time for sharing memories of Eileen will begin at 6 p.m. at the mortuary.
Memorial gifts may be sent to Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. in her memory.
Online guestbook at www.Ludvigsenmortuary.com
Ludvigsen Mortuary in Fremont in charge of arrangements.
