VerMeulen, John ("Jack"), 1934-1954

VERMEULEN, VERMULM

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 1/11/2012 at 19:17:33

Death Claims 20-Year-Old Jack Ver Meulen Friday

Shocking news greeted Rock Valley residents Friday morning [December 10] when they learned of the untimely death of John "Jack" Ver Meulen, 20, husband of Beverly Ver Mulm Ver Meulen and son of Mr. and Mrs. Pink Ver Meulen. The young man had only recently been married and was buried exactly three months from the date of his marriage, Sept. 13.

He had been playing basketball with the Rock Valley Independent basketball team Thursday night when he suffered a "sick" spell and left the game. He sat on the bench for a while but kept feeling worse and decided to take a shower and dress.

A little later a small boy came up from the shower room in the Rock Valley public school and reported that "Jack fell down and can't get up." Two of the man's friends, William Van Maanen and Stanley De Bruin, went to the shower and found the young man in a weakened condition. They dressed him and took him home to his apartment.

Mrs. Ver Meulen was at the game but did not suspect that her husband was seriously ill until after she arrived home. Dr. L. R. Hegg, local physician, rushed to the apartment and took the young man to the Sioux Center hospital. The seriousness of his condition was not determined at that time. He walked to the automobile, but later at the hospital he had another attack and lapsed into unconsciousness. He never regained consciousness.

He died about 6:00 a.m. of what the attending physician described as "acute dilatation of the heart and pulmonary edema." Mr. Ver Meulen had been plagued with pneumonia most of his life, his mother reported, and scar tissue left in his lungs by those attacks are thought to have had some bearing on the death.

He was born in Rock Valley March 24, 1934 and attended Rock Valley public schools through high school. At that time or shortly thereafter, he went to work for Kosters Market where he was the manager of the meat department at the time of his death.

The deceased was a member of St. Mary's church having joined that congregation shortly before his marriage. While at school he was a member of most athletic squads and was active in music as a member of most of the voice groups. He was a member of the naval reserve and was scheduled to go to Denver, Colo., to a navy school of electronics sometime next spring.

The deceased is survived by his wife, his parents and a sister, Mary, aged 12.

Dr. Hegg is reported to have worked all through the night trying to make the young man respond to treatment and a special nurse plus three other nurses worked on him throughout the night. At the time of his death his wife, parents, Father David McGoey and Hein Kosters were with him.

Rosary was said Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. in his parents home. Funeral Mass was offered Monday morning at St. Mary's church with burial being in the Catholic cemetery in Rock Valley. Pallbearers were as follows: Robert Splear, Vernon Hamann, Carlyle Hamann, Marvin Ranschau, Richard Vander Velde and Robert Bonthuis.

Source: Rock Valley Bee, December 16, 1954.
The obituary includes a photograph.