Anne Gerharda Broersma
September 23rd, 1923 - May 29th, 2024
Anne passed away peacefully at her home in Phelan, California, on May 29, 2024, with
her loving daughter and caregiver Margaret at her side.
Anna Gerharda Diedrica Ages Abma Broersma, endearingly known as “Annie” Abma
when growing up, and in her adult years she was known as Anne (with an “e”) Abma-
Broersma. She was born on September 23, 1923, in Wasco, California, to immigrant
parents from the province of Friesland, in The Netherlands. Her mother Akke
Knetemann was from Bolsward, Friesland, and her father Age “Al” Jelles Abma hailed
from Ysbrechtum, Friesland.
Although her first years were on her father’s farm in Shafter, California, her father’s
continuing success in farming allowed him to purchase a historic farm just outside
Wasco city limits along Highway 46. It was on this farm that Annie spent her early life
growing to young adulthood. The main barn could be seen for miles and became a
well-known landmark throughout Kern County. She loved seeing the tilled earth and
watching her father’s crops of alfalfa grow and the smell of the harvest. The Holstein
Friesian cattle at their dairy farm accentuated the purpose of the farm as her total
environment. She fondly recalled from time to time watching her father’s large Dutch
Draft and Belgian horses tilling and cultivating the soil until they were eventually
replaced by tractors.
Upon a recent trip to see the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, she remarked
to her daughter Susan that a favorite memory of her youth was seeing the numerous
beautiful spring wildflowers in the San Joaquin Valley as a young girl.
Sadly, when Annie was only one-and-half-years-old, her mother passed away shortly
after giving birth to Annie’s only sibling, her sister, Teresa Jeanette. Her father’s sister,
Tena (Trintje Abma) came from Friesland to care for Annie and her sister in their early
years, until she needed to return to The Netherlands. When Annie was a young girl,
her father married Susie de Boer, whose influence had a major impact on her life.
Annie was a beautiful green-eyed blonde, who was also an accomplished classical
pianist. She loved classical music and Broadway musicals, fashion and shopping as
well as dining out with family and friends.
Upon graduation from Wasco Union High School, class of 1942, Annie attended
business school in Fresno, California. She then relocated to Artesia, California, and
went on to a brief successful banking career, which she thoroughly enjoyed. While
living in Artesia, Annie’s aunt, Ida Hettinga, introduced her to dairyman Ben Broersma.
She and Ben married in August 1944 and settled in the Hynes-Clearwater area, known
as both “The Milk Shed of Los Angeles” and “The World’s largest Hay Market.” Shortly
after the birth of their first child, Lorene, in October 1945, they relocated their dairy to
Norco, California in 1946. They purchased two farms and moved into a home on the
farm built by Norco’s founder Rex B. Clark. They raised their five children on their dairy
in Norco and resided there until the 1970s.
Annie enjoyed hosting her many relatives from The Netherlands. She would take them
to see the beautiful sights of California, as well as her father’s farms and those of other
relatives. There were numerous Broersma family get-togethers on the dairy that
included making home-made ice cream, from the dairy’s Holsteins’ fresh rich milk and
delicious fish fries from fish caught during fishing trips to La Paz, Baja California.
Anne became a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. She remained a faithful member
of that organization until her death. She had many friends in her faith.
Once Anne’s and Ben’s children were grown, they divorced. Annie sold the home in
Norco, and in 1996, she relocated to the high desert town of Phelan, California, where
she remained until her passing.
All of Anne’s children were happy she made her 100 th birthday. Her full life span
reached 100-years, 8-months, and 4-days.
Near the end of her life, Anne longed to return to her roots in Wasco – the beautiful
farmland she loved, and she will return to the earth she loved when she is laid to rest in
the Abma family burial plot at the Shafter Memorial Cemetery.
Anne is survived by her five children: Lorene Gail Broersma (Bruce Zwissler), Ben
Franklin Broersma (Sharon – deceased), Richard Anthony Broersma (Christine),
Susan Beverly Broersma-Righetti (Robert Righetti), Margaret Joanne Liesmer (Edward
Liesmer – deceased).
Grandchildren: Andrew Gordon Broersma Zwissler (Kelly), Peter Abma Zwissler
(deceased), Michael James Douglas Zwissler (Juliana), Brooke Lynn Broersma, Erik
Ben Broersma, Richard Anthony Broersma II, Heather Ann Broersma, Susan Marie
Broersma (Danny), Renee Broersma (Juan), Rebecca Broersma (Matthew), Erin
Nichole Righetti-Falkner, Ryan Jared Righetti, Robert Joseph Righetti (Naho Ikeda),
Austin Diedrich Liesmer (Rebecca), Kyle Vincent Liesmer, Samuel Liesmer, and
twenty-five great-grandchildren.
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