DeYager, William 1934-2010

DEYAGER, GERRITSON, ABMA

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - Volunteer (email)
Date: 8/10/2010 at 07:19:26

William De Yager
William "Bill" De Yager, 75, of Steen, MN died Thursday, March 11, 2010.
Funeral services were March 16 at the Reformed Church of Steen with Rev. Dan Kuik officiating. Burial was in the Eastside Cemetery in Steen.
Bill De Yager was born April 9, 1934 near Hudson, SD, the son of Sam and Ida (Gerritson) De Yager. He attended country school near Hudson. As a young man, he worked as a live-in hired hand for a local farmer. In 1954, he entered the United States Army and was stationed in France until 1956.
He married Marlene Abma on March 26, 1956 at the Christian Reformed Church in Doon, IA. The couple began their lives together farming Marlene’s father’s farm and in March of 1959 they moved to their current location near Steen. In 1964, the family moved to California where he worked as a landscaper and gardener. While the family was in California, they allowed the Christian School of Hills to farm their land for mutual benefit. The couple built a new house on the farm in 1973 where they have resided to the present.
He was a avid collector of antique John Deere tractors, all of which he restored to pristine condition. Bill made countless friends across the country and Canda as he would spot treasures in groves and farms along his travels. Another interest that took Bill and Marlene places was their love for gospel music. The couple hardly missed a trip in the last 25 years to the National Gospel Quartet Convention in Nashville, TN or Louisville, KY.
He was a long-time member of the Steen Reformed Church.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Marlene; daughters, Debbie (Steve) Hup of Luvene, MN, Diana Schwartz of Beaver Creek and Darla (Darren) Van’t Hul of Hull; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two brothers, Albert (Minnie) De Yager of Inwood
and Junior (Ann) De Yager of Inwood; a sister, Tracy (Gernt) Byker of Hawarden; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family members.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Gernit; a sister-in-law, Dena; a sister, Irene and a son-in-law, John Schwartz.
Source: Hawarden Independent/Ireton Examiner; March 18, 2010