- Jerry was the son of Peter & Minnie Datema. His siblings were Jane, Doris, Phillip, & James. He grew up in Michigan.
He attended Huntington College and became a minister in the Church of the United Brethen in Christ. He and his wife, Eleanor, were missionaries in Sierra Leone and Jamaica.
They served in Sierra Leone, West Africa from 1957 to 1963. Then in 1964 they went to Jamaica, serving there, and starting a new church (Faith U.B.). At the end of their time in Jamaica, they returned to serve again in Sierra Leone.
Jerry concluded 20 years of overseas missionary service–six terms in Sierra Leone, one term in Jamaica. He served the next 12 years as the Overseas Bishop, and chose to retire from that role in 1993.
He and Eleanor had planned to move to Jamaica to work with the national church in leadership development. Their missionary barrels were already en route to Jamaica. Then illness crashed in.
He’d been experiencing problems for several months, including some weight loss and lack of appetite. A battery of tests in August 1993 proved inconclusive. Then, in September 1993, exploratory surgery revealed the presence of inoperable abdominal cancer. He began a two-month program of chemotherapy. But it was terminal. He would not make another trip to Jamaica.
However, the Lord granted Jerry Datema another year of life, during which he spent much valuable time with Eleanore, their four children, and their eight grandchildren. He also devoted much time to writing a history of the United Brethren work in Jamaica. If he couldn’t be there, he would write about it.
The end came very peacefully and without pain on a Thursday afternoon. For several days, his physical condition had been deteriorating rapidly. However, he was able to remain in his upstairs bedroom in their house in Huntington, as he had wished.
Eleanore, along with sons Tom and Dave, were with him when he died. Kyle McQuillen, Director of Missions, spent time with his predecessor that morning. Dr. Richard and Miriam Prabhakar, good friends on furlough from India, visited during the day. So did June Brown, with whom he had served throughout his ministry in Sierra Leone.
Brent Birdsall knew Bishop Datema in several capacities—first as a fellow missionary, then as his bishop, and ultimately, as one of his parishioners at College Park UB church in Huntington, Ind.
They had 4 children: Dave, Tom, Tim, and Steven, and several grandchildren.
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1929 - 1994 (64 jaar)
