Jan Benthem

Jan Benthem went to be with the Lord on January 30, 2022. He battled dementia in his later years which changed him from a farmer to sort of an escape artist, keeping his caretakers busy. He was born July 22, 1937 in Oldehove (Gr) the Netherlands to Jan Benthem and Aafien Benthem-Sebens.

After high school he went to agriculture school. When he got done with that, he went into the army.

Jan met the love of his live, Sijke Aaltje, of 56 years at an Easter choir concert in Leek. They were married on December 28, 1962. He figured a motorbike would be sufficient family transportation, but the arrival of kids convinced him a car might be a better way to go. They had four children: Dea, Jack, Henry, and Erik. Growing up on a dairy farm, he decided he was not going to be a farmer but less than a year after leaving the farm he figured out he loved farming. Turns out farming was in his blood, and he started his own dairy farm and never looked back.

After visiting mom’s sister in California in 1977 they decided to emigrate to the US for a better future in farming with three boys growing up. August 26th 1980 was the day they arrived in Washington where he worked for a while on a farm in Lynden until they found a farm in Duvall. They farmed there till Henry took over in 2000 and they moved to Monroe.

While dairy farming was what he did, following Christ was his first commitment. For years him and Sijke led young adults at the church in the Netherlands, making a difference in their lives and creating lasting friendships. After retiring from farming, he spent his time taking care of Sijke, gardening, bible study and Stephen’s ministries, volunteering at hospice and home care for many years in addition to working as a volunteer with City of Monroe disaster response team.

While we miss him here on earth, he is rejoicing in heaven.

A celebration of Jan's life will be held on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 2PM at New Hope Fellowship, 1012 W. Main St., Monroe, WA 98272.