De Jong, Larry W. 1946-2017

DEJONG, BONESTROO, DOORENBOS

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:37

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary:

Mr. Larry De Jong, age 71, of Pittsburg, Missouri, formerly of Hull and Sioux City, passed away on October 14, 2017, at his residence, surrounded by family, after a short battle with gallbladder cancer.

There will be an assembly of relatives and friends on Thursday, October 26, at 10:30am, in the parking lot of the Oolman Funeral Home in Hull, followed by a graveside service at the Hope Cemetery in Hull, followed by a celebration of his life in the private dining room of the Pizza Ranch in Hull, until 1:00pm. Mr. Terry Boote will lead the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Hull Paramedics.

There will be another celebration of his life on Friday, October 27, from 2:30pm to 4:00pm, at Nemo Lanes, east of Hermitage, Missouri.

Larry Wayne was born on September 2, 1946 in Hull, the son of Arthur Edward and Edith Marie (Bonestroo) De Jong. He graduated from the Boyden-Hull high school, where he met his wife, Marliss Doorenbos. He graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree from the Iowa State University in Ames, and received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

After graduation, he began his career with Iowa Public Service in Storm Lake. Larry transferred to Sioux City, where he later became Vice President of Transmission and Distribution. After several mergers with other utility companies, including some time in Waterloo, Larry retired from MidAmerican Energy in Sioux City in 2003. He donated his time as a member of the downtown Sioux City Rotary Club and served on the boards of directors of the Red Cross and the YMCA.

In 2004, Larry and Marliss retired to Pittsburg, Missouri, on Pomme de Terre Lake, where he served as the treasurer for the Lake Forrest Home Owners Association for twelve years. He loved the boating life and passed that on to his children and their families, often saying “It doesn’t get any better than this”. Larry truly appreciated all the friends and family that came to visit them at Pomme de Terre Lake. He was known for being a fix it guy, working alongside his sons on many house projects and helping neighbors with computer problems. He even had a t-shirt that said “No, I don’t know what is wrong with your computer”.
He treasured the family trip to Marco Island, Florida, to celebrate Marliss and Larry’s fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2016.

In addition to his wife, Larry was survived by two sons and their wives, Bruce and Shyla De Jong, of Richland, Washington, and Matt and Linda De Jong, of Olathe, Kansas; two grandchildren, Jake DeJong and Emma DeJong; one brother and his wife, Galen and Nancy DeJong, of Hull; sisters-in-laws, Harriet (Dick) Giancaspro, Shirlee Slaughter, and Bev Doorenbos, brother-in-law, Jim (Marlene) Doorenbos; many nieces and nephews, and countless friends.

Larry was proceeded in death by one brother, Brian DeJong, and brothers-in-law, Ivan “Butch” Doorenbos, John (Jean) Doorenbos and Bud Slaughter.