Punt, Dennis "Denny" Irwin 1934-2020

PUNT, INTVELD, NIEUWENHUIS

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:36

Mr. Dennis “Denny” Punt, age 85, of Orange City, passed away on Sunday, May 3, 2020, at the Happy Siesta Health Care Center in Remsen.

There will be a private family funeral service on Thursday, May 7, 2020, at 10:30am. The Rev. Michael Hardeman and the Rev. Elizabeth Hardeman will officiate. Interment will follow the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. Visitation without the family present will be on Wednesday, from 3:00pm to 8:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

In an effort to abide by the recommendation of social distancing, we encourage you to use our website, www.oolman.com, to leave a message of condolence, print a memorial folder, view the tribute video, and participate in the funeral service via live stream.

Dennis Irwin was born on August 17, 1934, on a farm near Maurice, to Neal G. and Pauline (Intveld) Punt. He and his five siblings grew up on their family’s farm, where their parents emphasized the importance of church, work, and family. He attended country school through the eighth grade. When Dennis was twelve, his father died suddenly, and in 1948 he and his mother moved to Sioux Center, where he graduated from the public high school and made profession of his faith at the First Reformed Church. As a young man, “Denny” worked on the farm, delivered bottled milk, and climbed telephone poles for the local phone company.

On his birthday in 1955, he was united in marriage to Arlene Jacqueline Nieuwenhuis at the Presbyterian Church in Hospers. Dennis and Arlene made their home in Sioux Center, where Denny worked at Ver Hoef Chevrolet, a job he had started while still in high school. In 1960, the Punts moved to Orange City, where Dennis had the opportunity to become a partner at Cambier Motor Company. In 1975, Dennis became the sole owner of Punt-Cambier Motors, and in 1978, he purchased the Even Motor Company in Alton and welcomed his son, Joel, into the business. The following year a new dealership was built on the east side of Orange City and became known as Punt Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac. Together, father and son operated the dealership, eventually reversing roles as Joel took over as the owner. Dennis spent 52 years as a General Motors dealer before his retirement in 2012. Three years later, he and Arlene became residents of the Landsmeer Ridge Retirement Community in Orange City. In April of this year, as Dennis’ struggle with Parkinson’s disease progressed, he moved to the Happy Siesta Health Care Center.

Mr. Punt was a long-time member of the American Reformed Church in Orange City, where he had served as a deacon. He was very active in various professional and community organizations, including the Iowa Auto Dealers Association, the Pontiac Ad Association, the Orange City Lions Club, the Floyd Masonic Lodge in Orange City, and as part of the Northwestern College Raider Rooters and Orange City Volunteer Fire Department. He enjoyed family vacations and coffee time with friends, as well as hunting, fishing, playing golf, and watching collegiate sports.

He is survived by his wife of more than 64 years, Arlene, of Orange City; three sons and their wives, Gerry and Julie Punt, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Terry and Jeanie Alderson Punt, of Birney, Montana; and Joel and Junia Punt, of Orange City; a daughter and her husband, Nancy and Mark Vanden Berge, of Sioux Falls; eight grandchildren, Megan Punt, and her fiancé, Troy Livingston; Brandon Punt, and his wife, Felisha; Blair Punt, and his wife, Sarah; Mitchell Vanden Berge, and his fiancé, Emily Blackwelder; Allie, and her husband, Macon Oplinger; Mataya, and her husband, Cody Naber; Gerrit Punt; and Carson Punt; four great-grandsons, Beckham Punt, Brooks Punt, Bergan Livingston, and Liam Punt; a sister, Leona Kots, of Hull; two sisters-in-law, Mavis Punt, of Lakeville, Minnesota; and Evelyn Nieuwenhuis, of Arvada, Colorado; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by three brothers and their wives, Gerrit and Hendrina Punt, Harold and Louise Punt, and Martin and Jeanne Punt; a sister and her husband, Elizabeth and Henry Van Veldhuizen; and two brothers-in-law, Virgil Kots, and Eugene Nieuwenhuis.

Memorials may be directed to Northwestern College or the Tesfa Foundation, an organization bringing hope to Ethiopia.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.