VAN ROEKEL, TONY AND GRACE (ENGELTJES)
Tony Van Roekel was born on January 8, 1914 at rural Sioux Center to Henry & Allie (Vander Ploeg) Van Roekel. Grace Engeltjes was born on November25, 1913 in Elburg, The Netherlands. They immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. Tony & Grace were married at the home of the bride's parents at Ireton on February 21, 1939.
Tony and two children, Mildred and Ivan, all attended the same county school 5 miles west of Sioux Center. Grace attended school for one year in the Netherlands and then in rural schools in Sioux County. In 1925 there was a flood, the Six Mile Creek overflowed its banks and the bridges washed out. The school children, including Tony and his brothers and sister, had to stay in the school house over night because of the high waters. The next day Tony and another school boy found the drowned body of a hired man in the neighborhood.
After their marriage they lived 4 1/4 miles west of Sioux Center where they farmed for 14 years. Then they bought a farm southwest of Ireton and farmed there until1978. Tony also was a carpenter for many years and built their own home in Sioux Center where they retired.
Tony Van Roekel Family: Front row: Tony and
Grace Van Roekel Rear: Mildred, Ivan and Linda
Three children ware born to this marriage, as follows:
1. Mildred Elaine Vande Kieft, born in Sioux Center, graduated from Ireton High School, received an A. A. Degree from Northwestern College at Orange City, and a B.A. Degree from Westmar College in LeMars, IA. She taught 3rd grade in Sioux Center from 1960-65, and now teaches part-time at Central College in Pella, IA. They have one son.
2. Ivan Dale was born in Sioux Center and graduated from West Sioux High School and had two years at Northwestern College. He is a self-employed carpenter at Lake Worth, Florida, and has two sons.
3. Linda Ruth was born in Sioux Center and graduated from West Sioux High School, received a E.S. Degree from Northwestern College and an M.S. Degree from the University of Washington. She is a technical marketing manager for Inficon at Syracuse, New York.
Tony and Grace enjoyed traveling around the country visiting their children and grandchildren, including a trip to Germany where Linda taught for three years. One of the their last trips was to see the Statue of Liberty and Washington, D. C. While there they visited the National Archives and found the guest register of the ship on which Grace arrived from the Netherlands on November 25, 1920 into New York harbor.
Tony and Grace celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in November of 1988 and many relatives and friends attended.
Tony became ill with cancer during the summer of 1989 and passed away on August 11, 1989.
by Ellen Van Roekel
Between 3rd and 4th E-W roads, row 5 east of west entry road. 1914-1989:
TONY VAN ROEKEL
Born: January 8, 1914, Sioux Center, Iowa
Died: August 10, 1989, Sioux Center, Iowa
Services: First Reformed Church, Sioux Center, Iowa Monday, August 14,1989. Burial in The Memory Gardens Cemetery, Sioux Center, Iowa on Monday, August 14, 1989. Mr. Tony Van Roekel passed away Thursday afternoon in Sioux Center at the age of seventy-five years. On February 21, 1939, in Ireton, he was united in marriage to Grace Engeltjes. They farmed in the Ireton and Sioux Center areas until retiring in 1978 when they moved into Sioux Center. He also had done carpenter work for many years. He was a member of the First Reformed Church in Sioux Center and formerly a member of the First Reformed Church in lreton where he had served as an elder and a deacon.
He is survived by his wife and one son and two daughters: Mildred, Mrs. Henry Vande Kieft, of Pella, Iowa; Ivan of Lake Worth, Florida; and Linda of Syracuse, New York. He is also survived by three grandchildren: Scott Michael Van Roekel, Stephen Michael Van Roekel and Joseph Anthony Vande Kieft; and the following brothers and sisters: Neal of Sioux Center, Iowa; Garret of Sioux Center, Iowa; Tena Sneller of Sioux Center, Iowa; Carrie Franken of Sioux Center, Iowa; John of Orange City, Iowa; Henry of Sioux Center, Iowa; Fannie Sneller of Clarkfield, Minnesota; Cynthia, Mrs. Henry Van Regenmorter, of Sioux Center, Iowa; Harriet, Mrs. Al G. Meendering, of Sioux Center, Iowa; and Ellen of Sioux Center, Iowa.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Fannie, on May 8, 1915. He is also survived by many loving relatives and friends who will miss him dearly.
Vander Ploeg's Funeral Home, Sioux Center.
Grace Van Roekel, 96, of Sioux Center, died Tuesday, August 10, 2010, at the Westwood Care Center in Sioux City. Visitation took place Thursday from 4-8PM, with family present from 5-7 p.m. at Memorial Funeral Home of Sioux Center. A prayer service for family and friends was Friday at 10 a.m. at First Reformed Church of Sioux Center. Interment followed the prayer service in Memory Gardens Cemetery of Sioux Center. A memorial service was Friday at 11 a.m. at First Reformed Church with Rev. Roger Voskuil officiating.
Grace (Grietje) Engeltjes Van Roekel was born Nov. 25, 1913, in Elburg, the Netherlands. Third of eleven children and the second daughter born to Gerrit John and Cornelia (Magre) Engeltjes, she was baptized in St. Nicolaaskerk in Elburg. In 1920, the family emigrated to the United States, arriving at Ellis Island on Grace's seventh birthday. In 1995 and 2000, Grace and her daughters Milly and Linda revisited Ellis Island. Her name and those of her parents are engraved on the Ellis Island American Immigrant Wall of Honor.
Three days after arriving by train at their destination in Hull, Iowa, Grace's two-year old brother, Bernie, died of diphtheria and two children of their sponsors, the Zoets, died of scarlet fever. The new immigrant family was quarantined with the Zoet family for thirteen weeks. The family lived on various farms near Sioux Center, Iowa, and Grace and her brothers and sisters attended country schools in the area. After her schooling she was a housekeeper for many families in the area.
On Feb. 21, 1939, Grace and Tony Van Roekel were married at the home of her parents near Ireton, Iowa. They lived on a farm west of Sioux Center, near Tony's parents, for fourteen years, then in 1953, they bought a farm south of Ireton where they lived until 1978, when they moved to the new home which Tony built himself in Sioux Center. Tony and Grace celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1989 and later that year, on August 10v 1989, Tony passed away.
Following Tony's passing, Grace remained in their home in Sioux Center. In 2004, she became a resident of Crown Pointe in Sioux Center, and early in 2010, due to declining health, she moved to Bickford Cottages in Sioux City. She passed away peacefully at Westwood Nursing Home in Sioux City on August 10, at the age of 96 years, 8 months and 15 days.
Tony and Grace were the parents of three children: Mildred Elaine (Milly) and Henry Vande Kieft of Pella, Ivan Dale and Sylvia Van Roekel of Sioux City and Linda Ruth Van Roekel of Urbandale. Grace and Tony are lovingly remembered by their children, in-laws and the grandsons: Scott Van Roekel, Stephen (Charissa) Van Roekel an Joe (Kerry) Vande Kieft, and four great-grandchildren, Sarah, Abigai Bethany, and Samuel Van Roekel. Grace is also survived by two sisters: Marie (Gerrit) Fedders of Siou Center and Nellie (Willard) Meyi of Sheldon; two brothers: Bern (Betty) Engeltjes of Leota, MN an Andy (Betty) Engeltjes of Oranj City; two sisters-in-law: Harrii Meendering and Ellen Van Roeki and many nieces and nephews.
Grace was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers: Alberti (Bernie), Lewis and Henry Engeltjes and three sisters: Bertha (Dick) Franken, Hattie (Fred) Vollink ar Fannie (Fred) Van Dieren.
She was a member of the First Reformed Church of Sioux Cent and of Ireton. She taught Sundays school and was active in the women's groups in the Ireton church community. Grace Van Roekel was a gentle warm and loving person. She enjoye making greeting cards, dressir dolls, crocheting afghans, which she generously gave to family and friends, and she was always ready to provide "a helping hand to anyone in need. She was blessed with a Ion full and satisfying life, sustained and encouraged by her faith, her family and her many friends.
The Van Roekel family prefers memorials to the Ireton Community Foundation or the Sioux Cent Public Library.
Sioux County Index.