Vander Ploeg, Mark O. 1928-2009

VANDER PLOEG, VAN RHEENEN, EBERT, HASSELBRINK

Posted By: Ernie Braida (email)
Date: 1/13/2010 at 09:58:45

Mark Owen Vander Ploeg was born on December 22, 1928, in Des Moines, Iowa to Diller and Caroline (Van Rheenen) Vander Ploeg. He was the second of four children. His siblings were Darl Edwin, Elaine Jean, and Ruth Diane.

Mark attended the Pella Public Schools where he played football and was a trombonist in the band. After graduating from Pella High School in 1946, he attended Central College where he met his future wife, Carol Gae Ebert, in Central’s A Cappella Choir. He graduated from Central College in 1950 with a degree in History.

In 1951, he was activated into the Air Force from the National Guard and was stationed in Bangor, Maine, where he served until 1952.

He returned to Pella and married Carol on July 2, 1952, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Kellogg, Iowa.

Soon thereafter he joined his father Diller and Uncle Nick Vander Ploeg in the family business, Vander Ploeg Bakery. In 1960, he and his cousin John (Bud) Vander Ploeg bought the business from their fathers and worked together for many years.

Mark and Carol had three children: Emily Sue, Mary Jo, and Joel Mark. As a family, they enjoyed camping and traveled many places throughout the United States and Canada. In later years, Mark and Carol enjoyed traveling to visit their children and grandchildren.

In 1979, following heart surgery, Mark sold the bakery. Then in 1980, he became director of development at the Christian Opportunity Center, a position he held for twelve years. Mark was active in the Pella community throughout his life. He served on the boards of the Pella Community Hospital, Hilltop Manor, and South Central Mental Health Board, and was a member of the Pella Historical Society, Dollars for Scholars, the Rotary Club, and the American Legion.

Mark spent many hours taking long walks around Pella, stopping to visit with friends along the way. He also greatly enjoyed golfing. A highlight for him each morning was meeting his coffee group at In’t Veld’s Meat Market.

Mark was baptized at First Christian Reformed Church in Pella and made profession of faith at age 17. He and Carol became charter members of Calvary Christian Reformed Church in 1955, and Mark often remarked how rewarding it was to be a part of the process of starting a new church. He served as a deacon, elder, and song leader for many years at Calvary Christian Reformed Church.

Mark is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carol; daughter, Emily Sybesma, her husband Mark of Hull, Iowa, and their children: Kristin and Grant Elgersma, Tricia, Carolyn, and Andrew; daughter, Mary Post, her husband Jerry of Oak Park, Illinois, and their children, Benjamin and Maria; and son, Joel Vander Ploeg, of San Mateo, California.

He is also survived by sisters, Elaine Postema and her husband Donald of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and sister, Ruth De Vries and her husband Edward of Grand Rapids, Michigan; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Carmen (Ebert) and Bill Gill of Kellogg, Iowa, Chrystal (Ebert) Lehfeld, Carol’s twin sister, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Gael (Bud) and Janet Ebert of Knoxville, Iowa, and many nieces, nephews, and favorite cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Diller and Caroline Vander Ploeg, his parents-in-law, Gustave and Amelia Hasselbrink Ebert, his older brother Darl and wife Miriam, and brothers-in-law and sister-in-law: Charles Lehfeld, Russell Parsons, and Joyce (Ebert) Parsons.

Mark was diagnosed with a brain tumor in early February, 2009 and passed away at the Hospice of Pella April 13, 2009.

Interment: Oakwood Cemetery with military honors

Van Dyk-Duven Funeral Home