Sonja F. Van der zee, 82, of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., passed away Aug. 30 at her home with loving family and friends present.

She was born Feb. 26, 1928, in Sigli, Indonesia, to Jelle and Josephine (Kepel) Jorritsma.

She was Roman Catholic and was a member of St. Rita's Catholic Church in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

As the matriarch of the Van der zee family, which migrated from Holland in 1957, she left her family to move with her husband to America to give her children a part of the American dream. Our courageous mother survived prison camp during World War II, and she was the wife of an officer in a war zone during the Korean War.

She married William Van der zee on Dec. 31, 1947, in Tanjungpinang, Indonesia. During most of her working life, she was a garment inspector of Bobbie Brooks clothing.

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband; a daughter, Josephine Maire; and a brother, Jan Jorritsma.

Survivors include her children, Jelle Van der zee, Rudie Van der zee and his wife, Donna, Michael Van der zee and his wife, Pam, Linda Sloan and Bud Pennington; brothers, Rudie Gustaaf Jorritsma of Houston, Texas, and Lambertus Jan Jorritsma of Dallas, Texas; and sisters, Janke Elske Van Hement, Anneke Jeijendorf and Josephine Jikke Strooper, all of the Netherlands. She has 21 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandchild.

<B>Van der zee — </B>A funeral Mass for Sonja F. Van der zee, who died Monday, Aug. 30, 2010, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Butler with Father Steve Neff officiating.