Adrian "Yon" Schoenmaker

Adrian Schoenmaker, age 91, died September 28th at Oaknoll Retirement Residence.  A memorial service will be held at Sharon Center United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 5th at 11:00 a.m. The service will be live-streamed and available on the Beatty Peterseim Facebook and YouTube pages. The Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Adrian (Yon) was born April 4, 1931 in Philadelphia.  He was the son of immigrants, his Dad Adrianus was from the Netherlands and his Mom, Mary Ward, was born in Canada. He graduated from high school in Arlington, Virginia in 1949 and from Lynchburg College in Virginia in 1953.   Shortly after graduating from college he married Sara Lee Street of Arlington, Virginia, whom he first met in high school.

That fall he and Sara both attended Boston University where Yon earned his master’s degree in theology and Sara earned her master’s in education.  After Yon graduated from seminary in 1956 he served as an assistant pastor at a church in Needham, Massachusetts.  Sara taught school in Needham until becoming pregnant with David Adrian, who was born in June 1957.  In May 1958, the family moved to Rockwell, Iowa, and the next year, in June 1959, daughter Susan Lee was born.  

Thereafter Yon served United Methodist churches in Gladbrook and Solon (Iowa) earning a graduate degree in student personnel work and counseling from the University of Iowa while serving the Solon church.  After graduating in 1969 Yon worked for seven years as a counselor and project director at the University of Iowa College of Nursing.  He also worked as a marriage counselor for the Family Service Agency in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  For 16 years he served as pastor of the Sharon Center United Methodist Church, retiring in1994.  

Yon was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Sara Lee, and sisters Ruth Coe of Alexandria, Virginia, and Maud Jahncke of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  He is survived by his son David Schoenmaker of Lincoln, Nebraska, his daughter Susan Schoenmarklin (Rich Marklin) of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and four grandchildren, Ellen and Aaron Schoenmaker and Davis and Marika Marklin.

In retirement, Yon served for five years on the University Heights City Council. He enjoyed pastoral counseling, gardening, flying, camping, hiking, fishing, reading, and travel.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Sharon Center United Methodist Church or the Southern Poverty Law Center.