Johanna Neeltje Cederholm

Johanna Neeltje Cederholm, nee Van Bakergem, passed into eternity on August 5, 2023, she was 91. Johanna was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 1, 1932. She was the daughter of Dutch immigrants, Herman and Anne Van Bakergem. Johanna grew up in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, attending PS 206 and later, James Madison High School, graduating in 1950. During the summer following graduation, Johanna and her cousin travelled throughout the Netherlands on bicycles, spending time with family members across the country.

In 1953, Johanna married John Marshall Cederholm on September 26 at Kings Highway Baptist Church. The couple resided in Brooklyn through 1963. In 1964, they moved the family to Staten Island, NY, where they resided for 4 years. For the next 4 years, the family moved 3 times, eventually settling in Kent, Washington, in 1971. They would live in Kent for the next 26 years, when following John’s retirement, they built a new home in Fall City in 1997. Fall City would be Johanna’s home until her passing.

Throughout her adult life, Johanna was a homemaker and devoted housewife. There were times throughout her marriage where she did work. Her last fulltime employment was in the late 1970s and early 1980s at Shorewood Osteopathic Hospital in Seattle. Above all, Johanna was a devoted wife and mother, and a strong Christian. Her faith guided her throughout her life. It was important to both John and Johanna to raise their family in the church. For years the family attend Highline Baptist Church in Burien and for the last 20+ years, Johanna has been a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Issaquah.

Johanna was predeceased by her husband John Marshall Cederholm (1999) and her son, John Eric Cederholm (2022). She is survived by three children: Joanne Treat (Dave) of Enumclaw, WA, James Cederholm (Liliana) of Valencia, California, and Janice Evans of Fall City, WA. She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held in her honor at on Monday, August 21st at Covenant Presbyterian Church, located at 22116 SE 51st Place, Issaquah, WA 98029. The service will begin at 11:30am, with a reception to follow at the church.