Kenneth Allen Bonthuis 1928 - 2017

BONTHUIS, HARMELINK, HAYDEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 1/25/2017 at 19:49:40

SIOUX City Journal
19 January 2017

SIOUX CITY | Kenneth Allen Bonthuis, 88, of Sioux City, passed away Monday, Jan. 16, 2017, at Holy Spirit Retirement Home.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, with the Rev. Daniel Rupp officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 5 to 8 p.m., a Third Degree Knights of Columbus rosary at 5 p.m., and a vigil service at 7 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Condolences may be offered online at www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Ken "Knute" Bonthuis was born in Rock Valley, Iowa, on Feb. 17, 1928, to Allen and Jennie (Harmelink) Bonthuis. He graduated from Rock Valley High School, where he was active in sports, receiving the first college basketball scholarship awarded to a Rock Valley graduate. He attended Central College and graduated from Westmar College.

He taught mathematics and science at Sanborn (Iowa) High School, where he also coached boys basketball and baseball. He was also an assistant basketball coach and varsity baseball coach at Westmar.

After college graduation, he played minor league baseball with the Duluth (Minn.) Dukes in the New York Giants farm system. Later, he played semi-pro ball for several area teams and finished his baseball career playing for the Rock Valley team and was manager for the team for many years.

He married Margaret Hayden at St. Mary's in Rock Valley on July 9, 1955. They were the parents of three children, Mary Beth, Dan, and Joni.

After coaching, he sold athletic equipment to area high schools and colleges for Hauff Sporting Goods for 20 years. In this capacity, he developed lifelong friendships with coaches, athletic directors and student athletes.

Later, he entered the insurance and investment business where he helped countless families with their financial planning and insurance needs. Companies with which he worked included Prudential, Shearson, The Warner Group, and later he officed with the Principal Financial Group.

He was a long time member and past president the Sioux City Boat Club, and later the Dakota Dunes Country Club.

An avid outdoorsman, he loved hunting pheasants and ducks. He raised German Short Hair Pointers and Vizsla hunting dogs. He enjoyed many years of fishing at Upper Goose Lake in Ontario, Canada and the Missouri River chain. He also enjoyed many family vacations at Leech Lake, Minn.

He loved to travel with Margaret and enjoyed many trips including those to Alaska, Mexico, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Macao as well as trips throughout the United States.

He was an active member of Blessed Sacrament Church, the Men's Club, and the Knights of Columbus.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife, Margaret; three children, Mary (Allen) Delaney of Sioux Falls, S.D., Dr. Daniel (Dr. Nancy) Bonthius of Iowa City, Iowa, and Joni (Chris) Vondrak of Sioux City; brother, James (Elinor) Bonthuis of Grand Rapids, Mich.; sister, Marjorie (James) Bergsma of Rock Valley; sister-in-law, Julie Hayden of Omaha; 11 grandchildren, Jason (Maggie) Delaney, Dr. Brian (Dr. Abby) Delaney, Katelyn Delaney (fiance, Jon Rife) and Kerri Delaney, Daniel, Natalie, and Ryan Bonthius, Emily, Joseph, Frankie, and Molly Vondrak; two great-grandchildren, Annie Delaney and James Delaney; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant daughter, Katherine; and a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Lorraine and Ed Schieffer.

Pallbearers will be his grandsons.

Memorials are suggested to Blessed Sacrament Church, Bishop Heelan High School Building Fund or Holy Spirit Retirement Home.

The family would like to thank the staff at Holy Spirit Retirement Home for their loving care.