Rolston, Volney Lee 1937-2004

ROLSTON, WINTER, DEHOOGH, HARDER, DIERS, FULSAAS, SLAGEL, BRINKMAN, KELLER, COLVILLE, WOELBER

Posted By: Debbie Nash (email)
Date: 11/20/2004 at 23:26:27

Volney Lee Rolston
November 17, 2004

Volney Lee Rolston, 67, of Sheldon died Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004, at his residence near Sheldon after a long, courageous battle with melanoma cancer.

The funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Church of the Brethren in rural Sheldon, with the Rev. John Elder and the Rev. Leland Grove officiating. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery in Matlock.

Visitation began today at Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon. Family will be present from 6-8 p.m.

Volney Lee Rolston was born June 4, 1937, in Sheldon, the son of Paul and Luella Winter Rolston. He received his education in a country school and graduated from Sheldon High School in 1955. He attended South Dakota State University in Brookings, where he was a member of the wrestling team.

On June 5, 1959, he was united in marriage to Joleen DeHoogh at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. After their marriage the couple settled on a farm northwest of Sheldon, where they raised their family and he farmed until his death.

Volney was a lifelong member of Church of the Brethren in rural Sheldon. In addition to serving as moderator of the church for 20 years, he served on the church district board.

He was on the Sioux County Fair board of directors for 23 years, serving as president for some time, and was a 4-H leader for 27 years. He was a board member and past president of Federal Land Bank, a nine-year member and past president of the Village Northwest Unlimited board of directors and a past board member of Farmers Co-op Oil. He also served as trustee for Grant Township in Sioux County and was a member of the committee for the Sheldon High School All School Reunion.

The land and his farm were very special to Volney. He was recognized in 1970 as a Master Swine Producer of Iowa; in 1988, he was honored as Sioux County Man of the Year for Sioux County Cattle Feeders; and in 1990, he was awarded the Service to Agriculture Award by the Sioux County Farm Bureau.

Volney was known for having a big garden, feeding cattle and for his sweet corn each summer. He was an avid Iowa Hawkeye and Minnesota Twins fan. Special to Volney was his family, spending time together at Lake Okoboji and his time with Jo at South Padre Island in Texas.

Left to cherish his memories is his wife, Joleen "Jo" Rolston of Sheldon; two daughters, Michelle and husband Brian Harder of Iowa City and Nancy and husband Dwight Diers of Fairfield; one son, Kevin Rolston of Iowa City; four grandchildren, Greggory, Thomas and Jessica Harder, and Mark Diers; two stepgranddaughters, Heidi and husband Randy Fulsaas and Jenni and husband Matt Slagel; three sisters, Donna and husband Ron Brinkman of Sheldon, Roma and husband Hank Keller of Lansing, Kan., and Doris and husband Glen Colville of Surprise, Ariz.; and two brothers, Dr. Keith and wife Jan Rolston of Sheldon and Dr. Doyle Rolston of Crescent Mills, Calif.; and his hired man of 30 years, Fred Woelber of rural Sheldon; also many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his stepmother, Ursula L. Rolston; a sister-in-law, Shirley Rolston and his father and mother-in-law, Adrian and Julia DeHoogh.

Courtesy of the Fairfield Daily Ledger Inc. 2004