William Kiel
December 8, 1923 - October 18, 2015
William "Bill" Kiel, age 91, of Sanborn, passed away on Sunday, October 18, 2015, at Fieldcrest Assisted Living in Sheldon.
There will be a funeral service on Thursday, October 22, at 10:00am, at the Sanborn Christian Reformed Church. The Rev. Al Van Dellen will officiate. Interment will follow the service at the Roseland Cemetery near Sanborn. Visitation will be after 6:00pm on Wednesday, with the family present from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, at the CHURCH.
William was born on December 8, 1923, at Maurice, the son of John and Marie (Huisman) Kiel. He was raised on a farm northeast of Maurice and attended country school. He served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1946, as part of the occupational forces in the Philippines and Japan.
On November 18, 1947, he was united in marriage to Joan Granstra in Ocheyedan, Iowa. They made their home in Hartley for a year and in Maurice for seven years before returning to Hartley to farm for nearly fifty years. In 2005, the couple moved to Sanborn, and in 2015, they moved to Fieldcrest in Sheldon.
"Bill" was a farmer for most of his life, but also did some construction work for a year and a half and volunteered with Justice for All and Hope Haven Wheelchair Ministries. He enjoyed woodworking, making furniture from reclaimed materials, traveling, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Mr. Kiel was a former member of the Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, the Ocheyeden Christian Reformed Church, and the Hartley Christian Reformed Church. He was currently a member of the Sanborn Christian Reformed Church.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 67 years, Joan; a son, Arlin Kiel, of Thompson, Iowa; five daughters and their husbands, Wanda and George Bowder, of Fairbanks, Alaska; Twyla and Robert Starkenburg, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Cheryl and John Hoogland, of Sioux Center; Linda and Marlin Vander Velde, of Sanborn; and Laura and Dave Pluim, of Sioux Falls; 22 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; three sisters, Hermina Hulstein, of Hull; and Mary Addink and Evelyn Kroese, both of Orange City; four sisters-in-law, Grada Kiel, of Sioux Center; Geri Kiel, of Orange City; and Edna Kiel, of Fullerton, California; and Joan’s siblings and their spouses, Bernard and Elsie Granstra, of Ocheydan; and Stephena and Stanley Van Iperen, of Lake Wilson, Minnesota.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Calvin Kiel; a daughter-in-law, Betty Kiel; a son-in-law, Bob Mathison; two grandchildren; a great-grandchild; five brothers, Steve Kiel, and his wife Henrietta; Howard Kiel, and his wife Marie; Ray Kiel; Vern Kiel; and Clarence Kiel; two sisters and their husbands, Hilda and Dick Addink; and Kathryn and Arend Wassink; three brothers-in-law, Orville Kroese; Steven Hulstein; and Hank Addink; and Joan’s sisters and their husbands, Lavonne and Gary Kanis; and Deloris and Orville Jacobsma.
