Beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother but most of all a faithful and loving servant of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Obituary
Renate Joenoes-Jurgens, of Rio Vista, California, having completed her mission for our Lord Jesus Christ in preparing others for his second coming, departed this life on December 15, 2025. She is survived by her son Anthonij Jurgens and his wife, Donna; and daughters, Gwendoline Jurgens-Ruddock, and her husband, Dave; Jolanda Goodenough, and her husband Paul; Desiree Jurgens; and by ten grandchildren: Alexandra Jurgens; Nicholas Jurgens and his wife Monica; Jason Jurgens and his wife Jessica; Jessica Kalafati and her husband Anton; Christopher Conner and his wife Jessica; Sean Conner; Thomas Goodenough; Michelle Peden; James Peden and his wife Alex; and Natalie Peden; and three great grandchildren, Jack, Frankie and Chloe.
Renate was born on September 19, 1934, in Ambon, Indonesia, to Martinus (né Mohammed) and Carolina Joenoes (nee Galustian). She lived with her Uncle Hank until age 7. At that time, Uncle Hank’s wife had passed away, and he was conscripted into the Indonesian army. Renate was returned to her birth family. During this time, she was introduced to Mere Bernardo who had a significant impact on her life, introducing her to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After enduring World War 2 and the Indonesian revolution in 1947, she and her family fled to the Netherlands. There she met her then husband Jacobus Jurgens and started a family.
In December of 1960, she and her family immigrated to the United States in Seattle, WA. She helped support her family in a strange new land by working as a maid and waitress to improve her command of the English language. Through her persistence and perseverance, she ended up working at Seattle First National Bank as a proof operator.
In the summer of 1970, the Jurgens family moved to Walnut Creek, CA. There she continued to pursue careers in banking to support the family. Not knowing this would prepare her for the next career change in her life.
In 1978, Renate divorced and started a new career in real estate. Her continued tenacity demonstrated how love for Jesus Christ, family, hard work and determination would provide shelter, food and safety under even the direst of situations.
Ten years later in 1988, she received the call from the Lord that she had a new role to play. Her life so far had prepared her for this new adventure. Over the course of her remaining years, she attended bible college and went on missions to numerous countries (Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Armenia, Georgia, Singapore, Indonesia, Israel, to name a few) introducing and preparing people for the Lords second coming. This was not an easy task, as Christians are persecuted in most of these countries, so through networks and underground churches she was able to spread the word of our Lord Jesus Christ.
She loved writing, playing and singing music, watching birds, gardening, meeting and talking with friends and family but most of all she loved talking about Jesus Christ.
For more detailed information regarding Renate’s life and mission, please visit her website located here:
www.thetruthrev.org
A service will be held at the First Congregational Church located at 230 Sacramento St., in Rio Vista, CA on December 30, 2025, 11 AM. Visitation at the church will be public and open casket, while graveside services will be private. There will be a reception following the church services.
Please send flowers to the First Congregational Church to the address noted above.
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Memorial Service Video
The memorial service has been posted in the Videos Section of this precious Tribute page.
Please browse through her videos to listen to Renate's speeches and the story of her mission and life.
Gallery
Videos
Memory wall
And Friends
From: Max and Ilse Uyleman
Lynnwood, Washington
This is one eulogy in memory of our dear sister in Christ, Renate Jurgens. Max and I met Renate in the early 1990’s at his cousin and wife’s house and that was the beginning of a close and deep friendship that started with Renate. We had invited
Renate many a time and she always said that we had to pray about it first. When she would come over we would travel by car to Vancouver, Canada, other places in Washington, Oregon and fly to Arizona and meet and stay at my niece’s place. Wherever God wanted us to go we always had a great turnout and people were just in awe and mesmerized when Renate shared her story how it all came about how God started using her with His power as His vessel for His Kingdom. People always told me that when they look into her eyes that they could feel like that there is something about her eyes, something very different like warmth and love. We have seen many healings, miracles, deliverances and Renate would always say to the people “it is not by my power but by God’s power so thank Him.” I would like to share a miracle in regards to our daughter who was 15 yrs at the time when she was afflicted with Toxic Shock Syndrome and 5 doctors at Seattle Childrens Hospital did not know what it was for 4 days. We almost lost our daughter because of the very high fever which also caused brain damage and told us that our daughter would never be able to conceive. 15 yrs later she did get pregnant but at 4 mths into her pregnancy we were told by her doctor that it could be a Down syndrome baby. I told Renate about it and invited her to come over and God made it possible. God’s power through Renate and by prayer blessed our daughter with a very healthy baby girl, our 1st grandchild who is 28 yrs old now and blessed her and husband with 3 beautiful healthy children. She now is also her Mom’s legal caregiver. We raised our miracle granddaughter since her Mom could not take care of her and nor her father so we got full custody. Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from Heaven above with wisdom power and love, our God is an awesome God. Our kids and grandkids loved Tante/Auntie Renate so much as well. We also remember Renate’s traveling companion, sister Kimmy, who came over and spend some days with us with Renate and visited the sick in different towns years ago now their spirit and soul are together in the presence of the Lord. Renate also mentioned Mr. And Mrs. Chi quite often. It was always such a wonderful blessing to have these amazing gatherings at our house and elsewhere and people would bring friends when sister Renate got the answer from God to come over. Our family, relatives, friends and many people all over the world feel so blessed that God brought Renate in our lives. She was used by God as a vessel for His Kingdom. In her last days of life she always told me that she was waiting for the day for God to take her home and for us to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and to keep our eyes fixed on Him.
“In the presence of Jehova
God Almighty, Prince of Peace
Troubles vanish hearts are
mended
In the presence of the King.”
You are home now, dear sister, Renate/Ria. Hallelujah, praise be to God in the Highest❣️.
We love you from here to eternity❤️❤️
Although I know, mom, that you are happy in your heavenly home with our Lord, I miss your beautiful smile that brought comfort and joy to my heart; your soul-searching loving gaze; the way you call me Wieneke (beloved). I miss your witty remarks that showed your adorable, brilliant humor; the way you could instantly run numbers in your head when I needed a calculator, driving around and looking at real estate and talking about what’s on the market. I miss dancing with you, I miss your beautiful music, hearing your beautiful singing voice, your special smell; the touch of your healing hands… the way you call Rio Vista “God’s country.” I miss being on the back porch with you, watching you make your bird calls and the way the birds would gather round in your garden of Eden, full of fragrant roses and fruit trees, on a warm summer day. I miss your 7:00 evening calls, “Night, night, Jesus loves you and so do I.” I miss talking to you, holding your hand and kissing your cheek. I miss being with you.
I miss your prayers.
For those of you reading this note, please know the Lord bestowed upon our mother the gift of healing. He healed many through her prayers according to their belief, physically and spiritually. He gave her a message that she shared with everyone she met. She never backed away from a chance to share her message—her steadfast faith in our Lord gave her strength. I miss the way she would tell us that everything would be okay in God’s time. Mama had a special way of making everything better. In our darkest days, her prayers gave us comfort and suddenly we knew everything was going to be ok.
Her spirit was loving, determined, and stronger than anyone I’ve ever known, grounded in the solid faith of our Lord, who sustained her through hardships and walked with her in good times.
She loved the Lord deeply—faithfully, passionately, completely—and wanted the same for her family and dear friends around the world, so that one day we could all be together again. When you struggle with daily life, remember the words our mama told us: Everything will be okay in His Time. God is in control. Stick with Jesus.
If you haven’t read the book about her life and mission please visit www.thetruthrev.org for free PDF downloads. Her website will be active in perpetuity.
Thank you for celebrating the life of this incredible woman—our matriarch, our inspiration, our spiritual leader, mommy of my heart.
Thank you for your beautiful spirit and tireless dedication. You have fought the good fight and now rest in your eternal reward. May your family find comfort in the promise of reunion. Your unwavering faith, generous heart, and steadfast commitment have inspired us all. You exemplify the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant". You are a living letter—not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of human hearts. Your life has left an indelible mark on all of us! We Shall Meet on That Beautiful Shore!
With much love,
Kyi Kyi Sein & Khaing from Myanmar
You are forever in our hearts Renate and unforgettable. All our love 🙏
Service
We will come together to remember and pay tribute to the impact she had with everyone she met. While we mourn the loss of our dear Renate, we also aim to cherish the moments shared and the joy she brought into our lives. Your presence would mean a great deal to us during this time of remembrance and reflection.
230 Sacramento St.
Rio Vista, CA
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