Parenteel Derck Backer (van Roekel) - Inleiding Naamlijst Bronnen

Louis Augustine Van Roekel

Zoon van Aart van Roekel en Nellie Visser, geboren 4-9-1901 USA IA Mahaska County, overleden 26-8-1979 USA CA Redlands

Trouwt 18-4-1923 USA IA Pella Jeanette Vriezelaar, geboren 23-6-1902 USA IA Monroe County, overleden 9-1-1998 USA CA Redlands

Kinderen:

1. Robert John Van Roekel, geboren 26-5-1925 USA IA Pella
   Trouwt 20-12-1946 USA IA Ames, gescheiden 1974 van Marilyn Franks, geboren 8-8-1925 US Michigan Metz
2. Faye Eileen Van Roekel, geboren 19-8-1926 USA IA Pella
3. Shirley Jean Van Roekel, geboren 27-10-1934 USA IA Otley, overleden USA CA Riverside

Bronnen:

MVC

Email Deb Emery 24-8-2018:

Pella's Windmill

Here is a funny story about our Dad, Robert John Van Roekel.

He was an excellent, well respected architect, and when he got older, he wanted to do something to "give back" to Pella, IA. He decided since the freeway had bypassed the city and took some business away from it, that he could help them bring interest back into the town by building an authentic Dutch working windmill.

He researched and traveled to the Netherlands a few times, learning all he could about windmills and their mechanics and drawing up blueprints to present to the Chamber of Commerce in Pella for his proposal. One trip to Holland he wanted to try and find some Van Roekel relatives who had not left for America. He collected the information we had and went hunting. No luck - the only person he could find who knew any Van Roekels said that they had all left - and that the only other Van Roekel guy they had known was just crazy. We laughed a lot about his story.

Unfortunately, Pella never accepted his proposed plans for the windmill - decided it was too expensive, even after he had arranged the land to be donated and all. He gave the blueprints to Pella as a gift, but they never got their working Dutch Windmill from Granddad VR.

Wendy Van Roekel, Posted: 20 June 2008 to Jaap van Steenbeek