Obituary of Arie Roelofsen

Arie Roelofsen, affectionately referred to as "Opa", was born the second of ten children to Gerrit and Jantje (Van Capelleveen) Roelofsen on April 3, 1925 in Renkum, The Netherlands. He left this earth surrounded by family on July 1, 2009 to be with our Lord and to join his family members who went before him. Arie served in the Dutch military and while stationed in Indonesia, he met his wife Florence Blaset-Roelofsen. They were married on April 7, 1948, and have been happily married for 61 years. He returned to The Netherlands from Indonesia in early 1950 with his wife and first-born child. In January 1957, through a sponsorship from John Knox Presbyterian Church, Arie, his wife and then three children left The Netherlands and immigrated to Tulsa, OK. Arie's occupation before retiring was metallurgist, and he designed equipment for business. He retired in 1987 as Vice President of Close Bend Manufacturing and he was previously employed by Dorsett Electronics and Frank Mathey Machine Works. Arie is survived by his wife, Florence Roelofsen; his three children, daughter, Betty deJong of Tulsa, daughter, Janny Cooper and son-in-law John Cooper, of Edmond, son Gerrit Roelofsen and daughter-in-law Deanna Roelofsen, of Jenks; four grandchildren, Christie and Derek Man, Adam Roelofsen and Kristen Shields, Jennifer Cody and Jake Roelofsen; and five great grandchildren, Christine, Aaron, Caela, Courtland and Gracie. Arie has extensive family in The Netherlands, including twin brothers, Jan and Gerrit and sister Ger. Arie was very gentle and compassionate. He was always smiling and because of his sweet nature, he was patient and kind and sensitive to others' needs. The characteristic that stood out was his love and faithfulness to his family and his devotion to God and his church. He was an active, long-time member of Southminster Presbyterian Church. Arie also loved drawing, playing the organ, woodworking, gardening, camping with his family and friends and playing Sudoku. Our family is grateful to all those who helped in our Dad's/Opa's care and comfort, particularly during these last few days with their support and prayers. Memorial service 2:00 P.M. Monday Southminster Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Meals on Wheels, Southminster Senior Center, 3500 South Peoria, Tulsa, OK 74105, 918-749-2623. We miss you, Dad/Opa, but we will meet again in heaven. Ninde Brookside Chapel 918-742-5556. <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'helvetica','sans-serif'; color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'copperplate gothic bold'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa"><a href="http://www.epartnersingiving.com/arieroelofsen" target="_blank"><span style="color: #721819">http://www.epartnersingiving.com/arieroelofsen</span></a></span></span>