Van Regenmorter, Richard 1929-2015

VANREGENMORTER, BOS, BOLKEMA

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting (email)
Date: 10/26/2015 at 14:38:00

Richard Van Regenmorter, 86, of Sioux Center, IA, died Thursday, October 8, 2015, at Royale Meadows Care Center in Sioux Center.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 14th, from 4-8PM, with the family present from 6-8PM at the Memorial Funeral Home of Sioux Center.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 15th, at 10:30AM at the First Reformed Church of Sioux Center with Rev. Jamie Dykstra officiating. Interment will follow the funeral service in Memory Gardens Cemetery of Sioux Center.

The Van Regenmorter family prefers memorials to Sioux Center Veterans Memorial Fund or AMONG (Mongolian Mission) 3500 S. Phillips Avenue, #220, Sioux Falls, SD 57105.

Richard Van Regenmorter was born September 14, 1929 to Peter and Carrie (Bos) Van Regenmorter near Sioux Center, Iowa. He was raised on the family farm and attended country school. As a young man he was taught the value of hard work and thrived as a farm-hand for his family and neighbors.

Richard served in the US Army as a Machine Gunner during the Korean War, in a combat infantry from December 1951 until September 1953. During his active duty on the front line, he earned two Bronze Battle Stars, Good Conduct Metal and United Nations and Korean Service Metals. Rich also was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds he sustained in combat.

On June 15, 1954, he married Phyllis Bolkema in Rock Valley, Iowa. Richard and Phyllis owned and operated Van’s Poultry Farm on the northwest edge of Sioux Center from 1959 until his medical retirement in 1990. He served on the Feed Grain Counsel and with the State Department in the Food for Peace Program as a poultry consultant. While in that capacity Rich assisted in Japan in 1985, Tunisia in 1988 and Taiwan in 1989. He also built and equipped a poultry and egg farm in the Dominican Republic for the poor called "Eggs for Everyone".

Richard was an active member of First Reformed Church of Sioux Center, serving in several positions including Deacon, Elder, Synod of the West Finance Committee member and on the General Synod Executive Committee.

Whenever there was a need you could count on Richard to help in any way he could. He had a passion for reaching out to those in need. This was his way of expressing thanks to God’s deliverance while in Korea and God’s goodness to him throughout his entire life.

Richard is survived by his wife of 61 years, Phyllis Van Regenmorter of Sioux Center; five children: Merlyn (Heidi) Van Regenmorter of Carmichael, CA, Bob (Suzy) Van Regenmorter of Sioux Falls,Donna (Ron) Grenko of Elizabethtown, PA, Sue Van Regenmorter of Omaha, NE and Evan (Shimrit) Van Regenmorter of New York, NY; 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren along with brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Aldine Van Regenmorter and sister, Wynn Vonk all of Sioux Center and numerous nieces and nephews.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and sisters-in-law: Jacob and Carrie Van Regenmorter, Dick and Pearl Van Regenmorter, Henry and Cynthia Van Regenmorter and brother-in-law, Ben Vonk.

Source: Memorial Funeral Home online obituary.