De Jong, Galen Dean 1951-2023

DEJONG, BONESTROO, NOVAK

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 1/25/2023 at 13:54:19

Mr. Galen De Jong, age 71, of Hull, peacefully passed away on Sunday, January 1, 2023, at his home surrounded by his family.

A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, January 14, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Hull. Please come as you are for a time of fellowship and remembrance of our husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother, cousin, and friend Galen. Light fare and soft drinks will be provided, and adult beverages will be available for purchase. The Oolman Funeral Home in Hull is assisting the family.

Galen Dean was born on July 20, 1951, in Hull, the son of Arthur E. and Edith M. (Bonestroo) De Jong. He was raised in Hull, where he graduated from the Boyden Hull High School in 1969. He then attended Iowa State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering.

He was united in marriage to Nancy Susan Novak on June 24, 1972, in Ames. After a decade living outside of Hull, they moved back in 1983, and he and his brother, Brian, continued the hardware store, started by his father, Art, and his partner, Son Vander Schaaf, renaming it to De Jong Hardware. His daughter Marty continues the business. Along with being a businessman, he was a member of the Hull Betterment Association, the Hull Industrial Development Board, volunteered with the Hull Fire Department for over 25 years, and was a former president of the Rolling Hills Country Club in Hull.

Galen enjoyed golfing at Rolling Hills, fishing in Canada and elsewhere, and playing snooker with his friends at the Senior Men’s Center. Spending time with his family was important to him, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife of more than fifty years, Nancy, of Hull; his children and their spouses, Keith and Bridget Kurtt De Jong, of Columbia, Missouri; and Marty and Jeremy Millikan, of Hull; six grandchildren, Alec Rohde; Laney, and her husband, Tyler Buyert; Alexis Millikan, and her special friend, Cory Meyer; and Willa, Quinn, and Bram Kurtt De Jong; two great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Marliss De Jong, of Pittsburg, Missouri; and Jan Novak, and her partner, Laurel Jimenez, of Seminole, Florida; and a brother-in-law and his wife, Bill and Georgia Novak, of Hayward, Wisconsin

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Trey Michael Rohde; two brothers, Larry De Jong and Brian De Jong; and Nancy’s parents, Raymond and Suzanne Novak.

Memorials will be directed to the Hull Fire Department.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.