Nicholas "Nick" Hulst (1928-2017)

HULST, RHOMBERG, HOUTSMA, VAN GELDER, TEBRINK, GREGSON, BAILEY, MEEKMA, HODGEN, VAN OTTERLOO

Posted By: volunteer (email)
Date: 1/31/2017 at 20:30:58

Mr. Nicholas “Nick” Hulst, age 88, of Orange City, passed into Glory on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

There will be a funeral service at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at the First Reformed Church in Orange City. The Revs. Mark Haverdink and Ronald Johnson will officiate. Interment will follow the service at the Hospers Cemetery in rural Hospers. Visitation will be after 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, with the family present 6-8 p.m., at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

Nicholas Roland was born on Nov. 3, 1928, on the family farm near Hospers, the son of John and Allie (Rhomberg) Hulst. He was raised on the farm and graduated from the Hospers High School in 1946.

On June 21, 1946, he married Mabel Jean Houtsma in Hospers. Together they lived at Boyden (1948-52), Cedar Falls (1953-54), Coon Rapids (1954-57) and Paullina (1957-69) before moving to Rock Valley in 1969, where Nick became Superintendent of the Rock Valley Public School. Mabel passed away on Nov. 3, 1990, in Sioux City.

On Feb. 15, 1992, he married Edna Joyce (Van Gelder) TeBrink at the First Reformed Church in Orange City. In 1993 they built and moved into a house in Orange City, and in November of 2016, they transferred to the Landsmeer Ridge Assisted Living, also in Orange City.

Mr. Hulst was a member of the First Reformed Church, the Lions Club and the Gideons. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, farming, golfing, talking about his days of teaching and coaching, watching his grandchildren play sports and anything Iowa Hawkeyes.

“Nick” was the last living of a family of 11 children, who were born to a Dutch immigrant. He held true to his roots and continued speaking Dutch and following the Lord Jesus through his life. He made great sacrifices to gain a master’s degree with hopes of a better life for his family. He was a great teacher and coach, a gentleman farmer and a shrewd businessman that impacted an innumerable number of people in his life. He was amazingly athletic and was able to walk his fields in Iowa hunting with his boys until the very end. He served the Lord and counted the times he spread the Gospel overseas as a highlight of his life. Committed to the church, Nick’s biggest concerns were that his loved ones knew the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and would join him in Glory.

Survivors include his four children, Ronald D. (Linda) Hulst, of Cassville, Wisconsin; Victoria Gregson, of Tucson, Arizona; Mark G. (Kay) Hulst, of Orange City; and Lisa Bailey, of Sioux City; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; five stepchildren, Rachel (Terry) Meekma; Barbara (Marty) Hodgen; Elaine (Mike) Van Otterloo; Ron (Charlotte) TeBrink; and Jeff (Mikel) TeBrink; 17 stepgrandchildren; 14 stepgreat-grandchildren; and Mabel’s two sisters.

In addition to his parents and first wife, he was preceded in death by six brothers, Ralph, Hank, Herm, Ward, John, and Ellion; and four sisters, Rose, Marie, Margie, and Tracy.