Obituary of Harvey Lee Verbrugge

    Harvey Lee Verbrugge was born on May 14, 1946, in Sibley, IA, the son of Nicholas and Katherine (Zwagerman) Verbrugge. The youngest of five children, he was the only baby in his family to be born in a hospital instead of on the farm where they all grew up near Sanborn, IA. He attended school at Sanborn Christian and Hull Western Christian, graduating in 1964. He went on to pursue a career in auto mechanics in Minnesota, but returned home before completion to help his dad on the farm. He was drafted into the United States Army in September 1966 during the Vietnam conflict. He served as a morse code operator in Giessen, Germany for his entire enlistment and was honorably discharged as Sergeant E5 in August 1968.

    Harv was united in marriage with his wife, Linda (Van Meeteren) on September 11, 1970, in Sheldon, IA. They made their home near Sanborn, where Harv worked as an electrician apprentice before starting his own business in 1972. They worked hard to grow the business together from a single steel shed at home to eventually a new building in Sanborn’s industrial park before retiring in 2003.

    Harv was a member of the Sanborn Christian Reformed Church his entire life, and mentored church youth as a Cadet counselor for 10 years. He participated in bowling and golf leagues, and also enjoyed riding four wheelers with his kids and taking them fishing. Harv was very proud of his service to his country and was a 56-year member of the American Legion where he participated regularly in parades and activities with other veterans. He was a fierce patriot that displayed the American flag with pride and was sure to teach others that same respect. In his retirement years, he loved doing anything that involved his grandkids, and was always thinking of something fun to do with them. He also enjoyed volunteering his time and electrical expertise with the American Red Cross Disaster Relief, Justice For All, and countless other organizations.

    One of Harv’s most memorable and talked about moments in recent years was going on a Midwest Honor Flight. It took place on his birthday, May 14, 2022, and he was able to visit the Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington, D.C. His daughter, Robin, accompanied him as his guardian and he was able to find closure to his time in the service through one final tour with honor.

    Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Linda, of Sanborn, IA; two sons, Cory (Charity) Verbrugge, of Sanborn, IA and Brandon (Ann-marie) Verbrugge, of Kansas City, MO; one daughter, Robin (Don) Hofmeyer, of Sioux Falls, SD; and one brother-in-law, Andrew Haarsma, of Sanborn, IA. He was the proudest grandpa to five surviving grandchildren; Cole (Kailey) Verbrugge, of Bolingbrook, IL; Chase (Calysta) Verbrugge, of Sioux Falls, SD; Ceyla Verbrugge, of Sanborn, IA; Lydia Verbrugge and Marcus Verbrugge, of Kansas City, MO.

    Harv was welcomed to Heaven by his parents and all of his siblings - two brothers, James (Velma) Verbrugge and Wallace (Glenda) Verbrugge; two sisters, Myrna (Henry “Kope”) Koldenhoven and Arlene Haarsma; three grandchildren, Cruz Eldon Verbrugge, CC Verbrugge, and CJ Verbrugge; as well as one great-grandson, Conlyn Harvey Verbrugge.

Memorials given in Harv’s name may be directed to the Sanborn Christian School