Memorials › Willis J Vander Kooi
Willis J Vander Kooi
26 Apr 1913 – 28 Jun 2012
| Birth | 26 Apr 1913 |
| Death | 28 Jun 2012 |
| Cemetery | Lakeview Cemetery Broomfield , Broomfield County , Colorado , USA |
| Added by | Mark S on 26 Jan 2014 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104800723 |
Bio
[The following is an excerpt from an obituary at Rundus.com.] The Reverend Willis J. Vander Kooi passed away peacefully Thursday, June 28 at his home in Broomfield, Colorado, surrounded by his daughters. At age 99, though his body had weakened, he still retained his robust spirit and wit. He had a gift for making friends, and many were able to join him at his 99th birthday celebration. A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Broomfield, where he was a member. He was born in Sioux County, Iowa on April 26, 1913 to William and Anna (De Groot) Vander Kooi. His parents were descendants of Dutch immigrants who homesteaded in northwest Iowa in the early 1870's. Two younger sisters, Dorothy and June, completed the family. They had an active life on a farm. Willis walked to grade school, rode a horse to high school, and told stories of adventures, including falling into a water trough, and caring for owls and goats. Willis graduated from high school in Boyden, Iowa in 1930. He entered Northwestern Junior College in Orange City, Iowa, where he played football, and went on to Central College, Pella, Iowa, graduating in 1934. He attended Western Seminary, Holland, Michigan studying to become a minister in the Reformed Church in America, and graduated in 1937. He met Jennie Keuning while a senior in college and married her June 13, 1937 during the Sunday evening church service. He was ordained that same year, and the young couple settled in Ontario, New York. There, they became the parents of three children: Paul, John, and Jane. In 1945 they returned to the Midwest and served churches in Chancellor, South Dakota where son Carl was born, and then Amherst, South Dakota where daughter Lois joined the family. From there they moved to Herman, Minnesota where daughter Ruth was born. They also served churches in Allison, Iowa and Fairview, Illinois. In 1975, they retired in Orange City, Iowa. He continued interim ministries on Native American reservations in South Dakota and New Mexico, was a calling pastor for Trinity Reformed Church, and lobbied for elders at the Iowa State Legislature where he received the Iowa Governor's Achievement Award. He and Jennie traveled extensively throughout retirement. They moved to Broomfield, Colorado in 1997 to be near their daughters. On a minister's salary, he and Jennie lived frugally and capably by gardening, sewing clothes, canning food, and camping on vacations. He supplemented his income with driving a school bus, doing a radio program, and raising bees for honey. Education was highly-valued, and all of the children attended Central College and went on to receive doctorates. Central College honored them in 2005, with the annual alumni couple award. In addition to sons- and daughters-in-law, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren joined the family. He took great delight in all of them and loved to tell others of their accomplishments. He was preceded in death by his wife Jennie, sister Dorothy, and son Paul.
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