Howard John Haarsma

January 25, 1923 - March 12, 2016

Howard John Haarsma, 93 of Oakland, California passed away peacefully on March 12, 2016.

Howard was born in rural Sioux County, Iowa to Dick and Dora Haarsma, the fourth of five children. Howard attended Maurice High School in the small town of Maurice, Iowa and served honorably in the Navy during World War II. After the war, Howard settled in the Bay Area working in sales and the automotive industry most recently as a car dealer for Schaap Motors in Hayward. It was in Oakland that Howard met Ruby Turner over the lunch counter of Ruby’s Café. They fell in love and were married in 1953 and enjoyed close to 40 years of bliss.

Howard was an active member of the Oakland Moose Lodge for over 50 years and had a wide circle of friendships throughout the region. He was an avid baseball and football fan and regularly attended A’s and Raiders home games.

Howard is survived by his long- term partner Lek, sister Ruth, son Dutch, daughter- in- law Sharleen and grandsons Myles and Christian. He was preceded in death by his wife Ruby, sisters Jo and Dorothy and brother Raymond.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 10: 00 AM at Chapel of the Chimes 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611. We ask that friends and family join us in the celebration of his life.