Janssen, Richard 'Rich' L. 1946-2007

JANSSEN, VANWYHE, KRATOCHVIL

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg -volunteer (email)
Date: 2/12/2011 at 11:39:32

Richard "Rich" L. Janssen
Date of Death: Thursday, November 01, 2007
Le Mars, Iowa
Richard Lorenz Janssen, 61, of Le Mars passed away Thursday, November 1, 2007, at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa following a six month battle with leukemia.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 5, 2007 at Grace Lutheran Church in LeMars with Pastor Larry Fett officiating. Interment will be in Memorial Cemetery. Visitation with the family present will be after 3:00 p.m. Sunday, November 4, 2007 at Grace Lutheran Church (1430 7th Ave. S.E.) with a 5:00 p.m. Prayer Service. Funeral arrangements are with the Carlsen Funeral Home of Le Mars.
Richard Lorenz Janssen was born January 28, 1946 in Hawarden, Iowa to Lorenz and Bernice (Van Wyhe) Janssen. Rich was raised on the family farm in South Dakota near Hawarden, Iowa, and graduated from West Sioux High School in 1964. He attended the University of South Dakota (USD) where he received his teaching degree in 1968.
Rich was united in marriage with Linda Kratochvil on August 6, 1967 at First Baptist Church in Hawarden, Iowa. Rich and Linda moved to LeMars in 1968 when Rich accepted a teaching position in the LeMars Community School District, where he taught 5th grade for nine years at Franklin and Kluckhohn Elementary Schools. Rich earned his Masters Degree in Education Administration from USD in 1971.
Rich began his real estate career in 1973. He became a full time realtor in 1977 when he retired from teaching. In 1984 Rich established Janssen Real Estate. Under his leadership, Janssen Real Estate has served hundreds of people in the community. Starting in 1988, Rich was also involved in the real estate development of the southern area of LeMars.
Rich was very active in the community. Since 1968 he and Linda have been members of Grace Lutheran Church, where he served as President of the Congregation several times in the past four decades. Rich coached softball and baseball, and was a member of the LeMars Little League Board of Directors. He was also a member of Sertoma Club and the Plymouth County Board of Realtors.
Rich enjoyed walking, golfing, and cheering for the Hawkeyes, Bears, and Cubs. Anyone who met Rich was not a stranger for long, and he was well known for his quick wit and humor. One of Rich’s greatest joys in life was his family. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother. He was a teacher, mentor, and friend to many. Rich was our hero, and will truly be missed.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Linda, of Le Mars; two children, Amy and her husband Pat Smith and their children Madison, Sam, and Charlie of West Des Moines, Iowa, and Scott and his wife Jennifer Janssen and their children Adelyn and Benjamin of Mansfield, Texas; his father, Lorenz Janssen of Hawarden, Iowa; a brother and sister-in-law, Marlin and Barb Janssen of Hawarden; a sister and brother-in-law, Janet and Brad Hanson of Gillette, Wyoming; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Mac and Arlene Kratochvil of Alcester, South Dakota; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law Lorna and Kelly Paul of Ashtabula, Ohio; four nieces and nephews, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Rich was preceded in death by his mother, Bernice (Van Wyhe) Janssen and his granddaughter, Brooklyn Marie Janssen.
Source: Carlsen funeral Homes, Le Mars, IA., obit.