Obituary of Vander Woude

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE Merle Gene Vander Woude, son of Willis "Bill" and Helen (Adams) Vander Woude, was born April 12, 1944 at Sanborn, IA. He spent his youth in Sanborn where he received his education, graduating from Sanborn High School with the class of 1962. On August 11, 1964, Merle was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Gayle Dummett. To this union, three children were born: Troy, Terry, and Lynn. In 1965, Merle and Eugene Elgersma purchased Vander Woude Oil Company from Merle's Dad, Willis, and his uncle, Sid Vander Woude. They operated the business together in Sanborn for the next 40 years, building the "Pronto Convenience Store" just west of their property in 1989. In 2000, the service station and car wash business were sold to Doug Elgersma and Roy Christoffels, long-time employees. The bulk delivery business was sold in 2005 to Sanborn Propane where Merle continued to work for two years. Following his retirement from the oil business, Merle's days were kept full with seasonal work at Rozeboom Farms near Sanborn. Merle was a life-long member of the First Reformed Church in Sanborn. He was a Sanborn Park Board member, being involved with the construction of Miller Park and Sanborn Golf Club. He also served on the boards of the Sanborn Funeral Home and Prairie View Retirement Campus, both located in Sanborn. Merle was an avid sports lover, and excelled in all of them. In earlier years, he played softball with the Southside Salvage and Mouw-Den Hartog teams. He loved to fish, play golf, and was always ready for a good game of cards. He and Gayle also enjoyed traveling together. Their "trip-of-a-lifetime" happened on the big island of Hawaii where they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary surrounded by all of their family...something Merle treasured and always made time for. The past five winters were spent out of the snow and ice at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL. Merle passed away unexpectedly on Friday, July 15, 2016 at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center in Sheldon, IA at the age of 72. He was preceded in death by his parents, Willis and Helen Vander Woude; his brother, Calvin Vander Woude; and a nephew, Mark Vander Woude. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Gayle of Sanborn, IA; his children: Troy (Kari) Vander Woude of Storm Lake, IA, Terry (Denise) Vander Woude of Marina, CA, and Lynn Vander Woude of Sanborn, IA; grandchildren: Luke Vander Woude of Lakewood, CO, Leigh (Jason) Hastings of Newell, IA, Lexi Vander Woude of Storm Lake, IA, Tara Pennings and her fiance, Kyle Dole of Spencer, IA, and Dana Pennings of Sanborn, IA; great-grandchild, Emmett Hastings; a brother, Willis "Bill" Vander Woude (Rick LeBlanc) of Corning, CA; niece, Michelle Vander Woude (Denise Kolbet); nephew, Michael Vander Woude; many cousins, and friends. CELEBRATION OF LIFE Merle G. Vander Woude Born ~ April 12, 1944 Died ~ July 15, 2016 Age ~ 72 years 3 months 3 days Memorial Service Thursday, July 21, 2016 ~ 11:00 a.m. First Reformed Church Sanborn, Iowa Clergy ~ Pastor Mark Waterstone Organist ~ Carol Wiekamp Tributes "One Pair Of Hands" Eric Rozeboom "He Touched Me" Songs of Praise Processional ~ "That's What Friends Are For" CD "In The Garden" Recessional ~ "That's What Friends Are For" CD Honorary Pallbearers Scott Petrich Mark Lykke Ken Flanagan Harv Westerman Galen Beyer Stan Snyder Duane Van Veldhuizen Ushers Scott Vogelaar ~ Glenn Grooters Interment Roseland Cemetery Sanborn, Iowa <iframe id="tukios_player_512x330" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="330" scrolling="no" src="https://www.tributeslides.com/videos/embedded_video/BKGX34C422KSDNYK" width="512"></iframe>