Bernard John Jeltema
Celebration of Life - January 27, 2026 - Livestreaming at https://Saddleback-Chapel.livecontrol.tv/028bfa7d
9:30 AM Service at Saddleback Chapel, 220 E Main St, Tustin, CA 92780. Doors open at 9:00 AM and light refreshments will be available.
11:00 AM Reception at Tustin Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall, 225 W Main St, Tustin, CA 92780
1:30 PM Burial at El Toro Memorial Park, 25751 Trabuco Road, Lake Forest, CA 92630. Enter the front gate and make your first left.
In lieu of flowers or memorial tree, Bernie requests donations be made on his behalf to House of Ruth at https://secure.familypromiseorangecounty.org/campaigns/hope-has-a-home-honoring-bernie-jeltema.
Bernard “Bernie” Jeltema was a beloved husband, dad, grandfather, and great grandfather. Born September 17, 1935, in Grand Rapids, Michigan to John and Frederike Johanna Jeltema. Died January 13, 2026, in Orange, California at 90 years old. He was the youngest with two older sisters, Evelyn (born 1921) and Dorothy (born 1924).
Survived by: Sally Ann Jeltema (wife, maiden name Enking), Sharon Sue Jeltema (daughter), Mary Anne Oakland (daughter), John Clarke Jeltema (son); Donna, Michael, Sophie, Audrey, Garrett & Ryan (grandchildren), and James (great-grandson).
Bernie was a kind soul, welcoming, gentle with a good sense of humor, humble, genuinely interested in others, generous, patient, supportive, very loving and caring. Hobbies included: parenting, gardening, home repair, listening to music (especially jazz, blues, soul, classic rock, classical, opera and more), watching baseball and football (especially the Wolverines), cooking, photography, hiking, traveling, adventuring, bird watching, all of nature, and woodworking.
Raised Dutch Reform, he became Presbyterian in his early 20s and continued his spiritual journey throughout his life. He never stopped reading, discovering, discussing, debating and opening his mind to new ideas. He was a member, Deacon, leader and advisor at Tustin Presbyterian Church for over 40 years.
Bernie attended Calvin College before transferring to University of Michigan where he graduated with a B.S. in Physics. A semester shy of completing a Master’s degree in Physics at UofM, he was recruited by IBM where he worked from September 1958 to December 1989.
Bernie was promoted and moved frequently within IBM until an IBM-MCA partnership, DiscoVision, brought him and family to Tustin, CA where he has resided since 1980. His crowning IBM Achievement was as the co-creator of BS/PSA, IBM’s first Data Warehouse Methodology.
Bernie created Strategic Frameworks, Inc. (SFI) in 1989 supported by Sally to specialize in long range planning and data warehouse consulting. Bernie created a Data Warehouse Certification program at University of California, Irvine Extension which he taught for over 15 years. He retired and closed SFI in December 2018.
Bernie’s crowning philanthropic achievement was envisioning and spearheading the House of Ruth which, in close conjunction with Family Promise of Orange County, started helping homeless families in 2023. Due to his significant efforts, FPOC created and continues to give a Visionary Award in Bernie’s name.
Flowers: Delivered no later than January 26 to Saddleback Chapel, 220 E Main St, Tustin, CA 92780.
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I’ll never forget my summer visits in Wheaton. I loved seeing you care for your beautiful gardens, hanging out with the best cousins ever, going to the Museum of Science and Industry where I was awed walking through the chambers of the huge heart, and quiet times of sharing over a bowl of an ice cream sundae with you and Aunt Sally. Then the times you came to visit you shared your kayak, and unconditional love! Through you I saw a bigger world. You brought me on a college visit at Wheaton college and gave me the encouragement to go to college. So thank you for the 47 years I’ve been a nurse! My life would have been different without you. Your joy and positivity were contagious. I’ve loved our FT visits with you and Aunt Sally over the past several years. I know you are now enjoying being reunited with your sweet Mom and Dad, as well as my mom and Aunt Dorothy. You are precious to God and to me. I’ll love you always and until we are united again in heaven. What is the most precious thing I saw in your life is how you loved others and cared so well for people who you often didn’t even know.
A good man and a good neighbor. God bless his dear soul and his beloved Sally and Family.
Bernie’s lasting impact on Family Promise of Orange County – Submitted by Melody Mosley
The Family Promise story starts in early 2008 when Pastor Mike Holland from Church of the Foothills, Susan Richardson and a few others heard a presentation by someone from Family Promise National, the parent organization. They were so excited about the prospect of providing shelter for homeless families that they formed a group and started the process of knocking on doors to form a team of 13 participating congregations.
This was a difficult and time-consuming process with lots of no’s. You all know how difficult it is to keep an existing organization going so you can imagine how hard it would be to convince congregations to take a leap of faith and do something new. At one point, the group had only found 5 or 6 of the 13 congregations needed, and was discouraged, so they decided to take a break and come back together in a few months for a fresh start.
Bernie joined the group when it started up again. Bernie brought new energy to the search and he convinced the group that they could succeed. Soon, Bernie became the board president. Bernie was persuasive, motivating and encouraging. Bernie was relentless in a very good way and did not take ‘no’ for an answer. He was not afraid to reach out and not afraid to ask and he encouraged everyone else to do the same. As most of you know, Bernie was very passionate about the Family Promise model and his passion was contagious.
Soon, Bernie had convinced 13 congregations to open their doors on a rotating basis to care for homeless families. Now, he needed an office and a Day Center. Through Bernie’s tenacious efforts, Bernie found space at First Methodist Church of Orange for the whopping price of $1 per year. That was right in the Family Promise budget because any donations were being used to renovate the space and hire a director.
I can tell you that there would be no Family Promise without Bernie. He was the right person at the right time. Bernie was the one who lit the fire to make the idea come to life and Sally was there to support him along the way.
Family Promise opened its doors to homeless families in February of 2012. I can remember Bernie constantly asking at board meetings, ‘how can we serve more families?’ Bernie even imagined having a second rotation. Since Covid, Family Promise has expanded its reach to include four different programs. Through the years, and through our four programs, Family Promise has helped almost 1,500 families.
Bernie’s legacy will continue not only with the Family Promise program but with the House of Ruth. Bernie was a true visionary. It was Bernie’s dream to establish a safe place where families could stay while they received support and saved money for a place of their own.
Bernie’s dream started to take root when the Presbytery of Los Ranchos offered a matching grant up to $50,000 for new mission ideas. Family Promise was awarded the grant and Tustin Presbyterian Church generously provided the matching funds. Bernie attended many meetings and was an avid supporter along the way as the deal with the City of Tustin and the project started to take shape.
If you haven’t seen the House of Ruth, it is the beautiful building at 1941 El Camino Real. Bernie’s idea is now a reality and the building stays continuously occupied with 11 families. Due to Bernie’s significant efforts, Family Promise created and continues to give a Visionary Award each year in Bernie’s name.
Bernie has truly left a legacy.