Mr. John De Groot, age 91, of Orange City, passed away on Monday, February 10, at the Sanford Sheldon Hospital in Sheldon.
There will be a funeral service on Thursday, February 13, at 10:00am, at the Redeemer United Reformed Church in Orange City. The Rev. Todd De Rooy and the Rev. Jeremy Wiersema will officiate. Interment will follow at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. Visitation will be after 5:00pm on Wednesday, with the family present from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City.
John William was born on February 25, 1922, at Doon, the son of Abraham and Jennie (Koele) De Groot. He was raised on a farm south of Sioux Center, where he attended a country school. He served in the United States Army at the end of World War II.
On September 26, 1945, he married Nelvina Elizabeth Kroeze at Orange City. They lived in northwest Iowa, mostly in Orange City and Alton. He was a self-employed farmer, a brick layer for Rens Construction, and he did maintenance work at the Farmers Cooperative Elevator in Orange City. Mrs. De Groot passed away on March 25, 2008, in Orange City.
John was currently a member of the Redeemer United Reformed Church and a former member of the First Christian Reformed Church in Orange City. He taught Sunday school classes and participated in Men’s Bible Study. He had a strong faith and encouraged his family to memorize scripture verses. He was also a fervent prayer warrior.
He enjoyed fishing, playing pool and Rook, and helping his children with home improvement projects.
Survivors include his four children and their spouses, Eileen and Larry Fedders, of Sheldon; Mary and Terry Hubers, of Sioux Center; Merlin and Betty De Groot, of Sheldon; and Jerry and Marlys De Groot, of Alton; fourteen grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren; three sisters, Lena Fedders, of Sioux Center; Gertrude Vis, of Rock Valley; and Edna Vander Broek, of Orange City; and three sisters-in-law, Eleanor De Groot, of Orange City; and Jackie Keizer and Frances Kroeze, both of Sheldon.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by three sisters and their husbands, Jacoba and Albert De Weerd, Marie and William “Bill” De Weerd, and Anna and Richard Kroon; three brothers, Henry De Groot, and his wife, Jean; Abraham “Bud” De Groot, and his wife, Edna; and Cornelius “Cornie” De Groot; five brothers-in-law, Ben Fedders, Edward Vis, Norman Vander Broek, Richard Keizer, and Gerritt Kroeze; and a sister-in-law and her husband, Ida and Guywood Kuyper.
Memorials will be directed to the Mid-America Reformed Seminary.
