Wilhelmina “Minnie” Beukhof, 100, of Willmar, died Sunday, August 23rd at St. Therese of Oxbow Lake in Brooklyn Park. Her funeral service was at 11:00 am, Friday, August 28th at First Reformed Church in Willmar. Visitation was one hour prior to the service. Burial was at Fairview Cemetery in Willmar. Memorials are preferred to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Her service will be live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page. Arrangements are with Harvey Anderson & Johnson Funeral Home in Willmar, www.hafh.org Minnie (Wilhelmina) Beukhof went peacefully to be with the Lord on August 23, 2026, at the age of 100 years old. Minnie loved the Lord and she shared her faith and life story with many through conversation, talks at churches and social gatherings and through her book “Sheltered Under His Wings”. Through the many trials and challenges in her life, God was always there to guide and protect her. She always shared the message of hope through her saying “May the Joy of the Lord be your strength!”
Minnie was born on December 5, 1925, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her parents were Cornelius and Tryntje den Ouden and she had two sisters and two brothers. She went to a Christian school until the age of thirteen, after which, as many young women did, found work as a nanny and housekeeper for families with small children. Shortly after her family moved to the town of Heveadorp, the Germans invaded and began their occupation of Holland. As a consequence, her family was forced to evacuate and divide into different parts of the country in order to survive. Minnie found work away from home for the remainder of the war. She was a teenager at this time and endured much hunger and fear. Finally, after five years, and the defeat of the German army by allied forces, their family was able to return to their neighborhood and home, which was mostly destroyed.
During the war years, Minnie met Gijs and in 1948 they were married. In 1951, and shortly after Gijs’s two-year commitment to the war in Indonesia, they were allowed to immigrate to America to fulfill Gijs’s dream of being a farmer here. After proper visas were obtained they found room on an ocean freighter which took them from Rotterdam to the United States’ entry point in Philadelphia. The intended 7-day trip took fourteen days. Minnie was seven months pregnant at the time. From there, a train took them to Minnesota to meet their sponsor. They settled in Chandler, Minnesota, where her first son was born one month after they arrived. They were to have two more sons. Minnie was proud to become an American citizen in 1956.
The early years were difficult. In fact, they would not have running water until 1968. Minnie was very resourceful in making clothes, canning vegetables, fruit and meat for the family. Finally in 1968, they were able to buy a farm near Garvin and their dream was realized! In 1985, she graduated from high school by completing her GED. In 1991, Minnie and Gijs retired and moved to Willmar. Just before moving, they were involved in a serious car accident in which Minnie suffered a broken neck. She was forced to wear a metal halo for 6 months. She would later say this was one of the most difficult times in her life. During this time, she wrote her book and her faith in her Lord was strengthened even more.
Minnie lived in Willmar for 34 years and loved it. She loved people and made many friends while living there. She was very involved in The First Reformed Church of Willmar, teaching Sunday School classes and leading Bible studies. One of her greatest joys was knitting booties and hats for the Hope Pregnancy Center. Minnie would always have balls of yarn at her feet and crocheting and knitting needles in her hands. With the help of her precious care givers and friends, she was able to stay in her own home until June of 2025 after which she lived out her liife at the Oxbow Lake Senior Living residence in Brooklyn Park.
Her family was so very special to her. She loved and cherished each family member as much as anyone could ever imagine. She paid attention to each birthday or personal accomplishment, and had an incredible thirst for more. We all felt incredibly blessed.
She never lost touch with her early life in the Netherlands, but loved America, and kept a string of special friends along the way. She kept in touch with people in Chandler, Garvin, Slayton, Willmar, and now Brooklyn Park. She was thankful for every moment with friends and family.
Minnie leaves behind her three sons, Martin (Janet), Cornie (Heather), Dave (Barb), eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Gijs, in 2019; her two brothers and two sisters and their spouses, Gijs’s two sisters and their spouses, and many friends.
