Twyla Van Essen

A celebration of life for Twyla Van Essen, 69, of Tracy, will be held Sunday, June 28th,
2026, at the Tracy Fire Station located at 313 Woltz St, Tracy, IA 50256 from 11 am until
tbd. Memorials may be made in care of the family and will be designated at a later date.

Twyla Mae Hommer was born on May 24th, 1957, in Leon, Iowa, to Glendal and Lynn
(Lettington) Hommer. She grew up in Humeston alongside her four siblings, Tim, Rod,
Cathy, and Dienda. Twyla graduated from Mormon Trail High School in 1975, where she
was known for her fun-loving personality and the many friendships she made. No matter
where life took her, Humeston always felt like home, and she loved returning to visit
family and friends.

Throughout her working years, Twyla held several jobs, including working as a CNA at
Clarke Community Hospital. She also worked for Furnas Manufacturing, Rollscreen,
Hardee's, Pella Products, and Frontier Manufacturing. She took pride in her work, but
the most important role in her life was being a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-
grandmother.

Twyla and Bobby Woods were blessed with a daughter, Bobbi Jo, who remained one of
the greatest joys of her life. In August of 1991, she married Ron Van Essen and happily
welcomed Amanda and Dana into her heart and family. Nothing made Twyla happier
than watching her family grow. She treasured every moment spent with her six
grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Family gatherings were some of Twyla's favorite moments. Holidays, especially
Christmas, were filled with love, laughter, and careful attention to making sure everyone
felt equally special. She wanted everyone to have the same number of presents and,
more importantly, to know they were loved just the same. Her home was often the
gathering place for family and friends. Guests could count on finding her famous potato
salad, spaghetti salad, and Rachael Ray sloppy joe sandwiches on the table. Her house
was always neat and welcoming, with laundry folded just right and a warmth that made
everyone feel at home the moment they walked through the door.

Twyla took great pride in her home. Everything had its place, laundry was folded just
right, and the house was always neat and welcoming. More importantly, it was a place
where family and friends felt comfortable, cared for, and at home.

She also enjoyed the simple pleasures in life. Twyla loved getting lost in a good book,
especially by Diana Palmer, Janet Dailey, Janet Chapman, and Nora Roberts. She
loved collecting Willow Tree figurines and her yearly dated Willow Tree Christmas
ornaments, plus paperweights of all shapes and sizes. She never passed up a chance
to shop, whether browsing thrift stores, walking every aisle at Walmart, or going to a
different town to walk every aisle of that Walmart too, or waiting for the latest Amazon
delivery.

Her love of shopping was a trait she proudly passed along to Bobbi, and when together
they could be gone all day, to the annoyance of their spouses. In fact, the Amazon
delivery driver became a familiar face from his frequent stops at her home and would
always ask what project Ron was working on at the moment.

Surrounded by the love of her family, Twyla passed away on Monday, June 22nd, 2026,
at the Comfort House in Pella.

She will be deeply missed by her husband, Ron Van Essen; her children, Bobbi Jo
(Jason) Angusich, Amanda (Josh) Burg, and Dana (Rick) Boner; her grandchildren,
Austin Cowman, Shelby (Thomas) Cowman, Taylor Burg, Jocelyn Burg, Kristin (Wes)
Beckwith, and in loving memory of granddaughter Kayla Boner; her great-grandchildren,
Charlie, Waylon, Wyatt, Grant, and Isaac; her sisters, Cathy Shackelford and Dienda
Hommer, and her sister-in-law Cindy Hommer; along with many nieces, nephews,
extended family members, and dear friends.

Twyla was preceded in death by her parents, Glendal and Lynn Hommer, her
granddaughter, Kayla Boner, her brothers, Tim Hommer and Rod Hommer, her
brothers-in-law, Jon Jackson and John Shackelford, and niece, Jessica Jackson.

Twyla's greatest gift was the love she gave so freely to those around her. Her family was
her world, and the memories she created with them will be treasured forever.