Wassink, Cornie Arlin 1950-2020

WASSINK, BLANKESPOOR, KORVER

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

Mr. Cornie Wassink, age 70, of Alton, passed away on Thursday, November 12, 2020, at the University of Minnesota Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

There will be a funeral service on Wednesday, November 18, at 2:00pm, at the New Hope Evangelical Free Church. The Rev. Jeffrey Whitt will officiate. Interment will follow the service at the Nassau Township Cemetery near Alton. Visitation without the family will be on Tuesday, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.

You are invited to leave a message of condolence, print a memorial folder, view the tribute video, and participate in the service via livestream at www.oolman.com.

Cornie Arlin was born on October 13, 1950, in Sioux Center, the son of Arend C. and Rosella (Blankespoor) Wassink. He was raised on a farm just north of town and graduated from Sioux Center High School in 1969. He was very active in 4-H, FFA and athletics. He spent a considerable amount of time and won numerous awards showing his father’s pure-bred hogs around the Midwest.

On August 10, 1972, he was united in marriage to Debra Angela Korver in Sioux Center. The following year, he graduated from Northwestern College where he was a four-year starter in football on the offensive line. Cornie was named the team’s Offensive MVP and an All-American in 1972 on the NAIA National Runner Up. The 1971 and 1972 teams compiled a 16-game winning streak that still stands as the longest winning streak in Northwestern’s history.

Cornie worked at Northwestern College for 41 years in the Advancement office, serving as the college’s first alumni director. He spent time with countless donors over the years, particularly in the area of establishing endowed scholarships as the Director of Planned Giving and was a part of every major capital campaign at the college. Wassink, a chartered life underwriter, was a board member of Leave a Legacy Iowa and past president of the Planned Giving Council of Siouxland. He had served as District 6 chair of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and received its 2004 Distinguished Service Award.

He was a charter member of the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame. While still in college, he began officiating track and field. Over the years, he officiated eight sports and co-founded the Iowa Association of Track Officials. He was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Officials Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Iowa Track Officials Hall of Fame in 2009. In his 50 years of officiating he was named the Iowa State Official of the Year eight times between football, track, or cross-country. He was a Master Official for USATF, a starter at the Drake Relays and the State Track Meet and worked as an official for dozens of conference and national championship meets for the NAIA and NCAA Division I, II, and III. He had a passion for watching young athletes compete and enjoyed playing a role in helping them progress in their careers.

Few things brought Cornie as much joy as spending time with his family and grandchildren. ‘Bonca’, as the grandkids referred to him, loved to take them walleye fishing, read stories, and give them his famous belly blows. He was known for his quick wit and love of reading and could carry on a conversation with people from every walk of life. He was a source of quiet, steady strength for his family and a model of hard work and attention to detail. He loved Jesus in his consistent, soft spoken manner and was active in the church, serving as an elder, deacon, and youth sponsor.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Debra, of Alton; two sons, Matthew, and his wife, Katie, and their children, Case, Sadie, Lincoln, Stella, and Maverick, of Arden Hills, Minnesota; and Ryan, and his wife, Kari, and their children, Jayden, Roman, and Josie, of Stillwater, Minnesota; four sisters, Jan, and her husband, Roger Alons, of Troy, Illinois; Hilaine, and her husband, Roger Kempema, of Rock Valley; Gloria, and her husband, Ken Van Wye, of Stanton; and Arlis Folkerts, of Winnipeg, Manitoba; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Gerald Folkerts; and two nephews.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.