[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 102 (Friday, June 11, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E631-E632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO IKE BOOTSMA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 11, 2021

  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
Eastvale City Council Member Ike Bootsma, who passed away on Friday, 
May 14, 2021. Ike was a dedicated leader in our Riverside County 
community and he will be deeply missed.
  Ike was one of nine children born to Trynje and Jim Bootsma, his 
Dutch immigrant parents who were among the first families to establish 
a dairy in Chino Valley in the late 1930s. Following in the 
agricultural and entrepreneurial footsteps of his parents, Ike started 
his own calf ranch in 1975. As the area began to grow and local dairy 
farms began to make

[[Page E632]]

way for homes, Ike was one of the leaders behind the efforts to 
incorporate the city of Eastvale in 2010. In November of that year, 
voters elected Ike to the new city's very first city council.
  In addition to his service as mayor and on the city council, Ike 
represented Eastvale on a number of regional government boards, 
including Western Riverside Council of Governments and the Riverside 
Transit Agency. He also spent considerable time as an active member of 
community based organizations, including the Eastvale Kiwanis Club, the 
Eastvale Chamber of Commerce, and the Eastvale Roadway Adoption 
Program. According to his daughter, Metchelle Bootsma, one of Ike's 
favorite ways to give back was to put his big white beard to work by 
serving as Santa Claus at various children's events.
  Ike is survived by his wife Squeaker, and his children Shaun Bootsma, 
Heidi Tillman, Mike Kirk, and Metchelle Bootsma, as well as six 
grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. I extend my heartfelt 
condolences to the Bootsma family, his friends, and everyone fortunate 
enough to know Ike. Although he may be gone, the many contributions Ike 
made to his community and family will have a lasting impact.

                          ____________________