William Mouw was born September 24, 1906 in Moulton Township, Murray County,
Minnesota, to John H. and Jennie (Korver) Mouw.
He attended District 80 School for the first four and one-half years, and finished school at Leota Christian School.
On June 19, 1930 he married Margaret De Boer in Leota. Following their marriage they farmed near Chandler. He also enjoyed doing veterinarian work in the area. In December of 1946, they moved to Leota where he was in the house moving business until 1989. Bill also was the town barber for many years. Bill remained in Leota the latter part of his life and enjoyed music and playing his accordion for others.
On May 5, 2000 he became a resident of Edgebrook Care Center and died June 4, at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the age of 93 years, 8 months and 11 days. Bill was a lifetime member of Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. He served as an elder and served on the Leota Christian School Board.
He is survived by his two sons: John and wife Lillian of Leota, Minnesota; Gordon and wife Elaine of Chandler, Minnesota; two daughters: LaVonne and husband Gary Hulstein of Leota, Minnesota; Patricia and husband Stan Prins of Redlands, California; 15 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret (October 1987), two brothers, four sisters and one grandchild, Jerry Dale Hulstein.
Margaret, daughter of Nicholas and Minnie (Anker) DeBoer was born on December 17, 1910.
On June 19, 1930, Margaret and William Mouw were married at the DeBoer home. They farmed on the family farm near Leota until 1946 when they moved into Leota where they still resided.
To this union, four children were born. They along with the grandchildren are: John William and Lillian (Cheryl, Bradford, Cindy, Wm. Michael); Lavonne and Gary Hulstein (Jerry Dale, deceased, Lori, Myron, Marvella, Dana); Gordon and Elaine (Wayne, Craig, Sheila, Gina, Pamela) all of Leota. Patricia and Stan Prins (Ryan, Shellisa) of Redlands, Ca. They also have eleven great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by grandson, Jerry Dale, her twin sister Dorothy, sisters Minnie and Mary and brothers Peter and John. She is lovingly remembered by her husband, family and her sisters Angie, Julia, Wilma and her brother Willis.
JOHN WILLIAM MOUW was born on October 11, 1930 to William and Margaret (DeBoer) Mouw
on the farm place between Leota and Chandler, Minnesota.
He was raised on the farm and attended country school.
At age 16, the family moved into Leota.
John graduated from Edgerton Public High School in 1949.
At the age of 19 years, John decided he wanted to start a business venture.
He had a father who believed in his dreams and with a small loan from his Dad, John
began Mouw's Hatchery in 1950.
On December 4, 1951 John married the love of his life, Lillian Lubben, at Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. They spent the next 64 years together, raising four children, growing their business at the hatchery, and making the most of life. John attended a short course at the University of Minnesota for poultry disease. From the very beginning, John worked hard to stay a step ahead in his business and anticipated the needs of his customers and felt very blessed as his business grew over the years. John hatched over a million baby chicks annually. He was extremely grateful for the business God allowed him to build, but felt even more blessed by his children. They all worked together to make Mouw's Hatchery a continued success. In 1988, his sons purchased part of the business. John still handled the poultry end of the business and started selling Garst Seed Corn which earned him Most Valuable Salesman in 1988 and 1989.
John and Lillian loved to travel and visited 49 of the 50 states. During retirement years, John and Lillian wintered for over 30 years in Arizona. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren were always their #1 priority. Throughout the years, John also enjoyed breeding and showing Purebred Arabian horses and fishing and golfing. He was a gifted singer, even recording his own CD's. John was a member of Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. John was always civic minded. He served on the Leota Water Board, Leota Civic Board, and the Leota Christian School Board. He was a member of the American Egg Board. John was a passionate advocate for Citizens for Educational Freedom (CEF) which helped solicit funds for private schools.
John will be lovingly remembered by his children, Cheryl (Milo) Feikema of Leota, Bradford (Linda) Mouw of Leota, Lucinda (Dan) Blom of Fairview, Tennessee, and Wm. Michael (Lori) Mouw of Leota; nine grandchildren, Lindsay (Bryce) Rieck, Crystal (Boe) Kelley, Ashtin (Cory) Roebuck, Jena (Jim) Ver Steeg, Erin (Kenny) Gradert, Jared Mouw, Chloe Blom (fiancé, Clete Philyaw), Britney (Heath) Van Wyhe and Brooke Mouw (fiancé, Dominic Nibbelink); three great-grandchildren, Aiden and Logan Ver Steeg, and Quinn Rieck; and his siblings, LaVonne Hulstein of Leota, Gordon (Elaine) Mouw of Leota, and Patricia (Stan) Prins of Leota.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian; his grandson, Erik Blom; and his brother-in-law, Gary Hulstein.
Memorials are preferred to an organization of donor's choice that benefits children.
Source information:
Rock County Star Herald, Luverne MN, 08 Dec 2016, Sec. A, Pg. 7.
Lillian Mae Mouw was born on February 2, 1934 in Leota, Minnesota to Ray and Johanna
(Lolkus) Lubben.
Lillian attended Leota Christian School.
During her teen years she worked at the Leota Café as a waitress and helped her father
in the creamery.
On December 4, 1951 she was united in marriage to John Mouw at Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. This union was blessed with four children. Lillian was a homemaker and worked with her husband John at Mouw's Hatchery, helping him build his business. Lillian was a life-long resident of Leota. On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Lillian passed away at Sanford Hospice Centennial Cottage in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the age of 82 years, 7 months and 25 days.
Lillian was a member of Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. She was also a member of the Golden Hour Society and Leota Friendship Builders. Lillian was a faithful supporter of Leota Christian School in Leota and Southwest Christian High School in Edgerton, Minnesota. Lillian enjoyed reading, planting flowers, gardening, sewing clothes, and cooking for her family. Lillian adored her grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them, baking together, taking them to the movies, going over the "troll bridge" at Leota Park and attending their programs, recitals and sports activities. Lillian spent many of her winters in Arizona.
Lillian will be lovingly remembered by her husband, John; children, Cheryl (Milo) Feikema of Leota, Bradford (Linda) Mouw of Leota, Lucinda (Dan) Blom of Fairview, Tennessee, and Wm. Michael (Lori) Mouw of Leota; siblings, Edna Haroldson of Pipestone, Minnesota, Wylma (John) Van Dyk of Enumclaw, Washington, and Alma (Don) Schnyders of Surprise, Arizona; nine grandchildren, Lindsay (Bryce) Rieck, Crystal (Boe) Kelley, Ashtin (Cory) Roebuck, Jena (Jim) Ver Steeg, Erin (Kenny) Gradert, Jared Mouw, Chloe Blom (fiancé, Clete Philyaw), Britney (Heath) Van Wyhe and Brooke Mouw (fiancé, Dominic Nibbelink); and three great-grandchildren, Aiden and Logan Ver Steeg, and Quinn Rieck. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Johanna Lubben; sisters, Henrietta Koelwyn and Telena DeSchepper; and grandson, Erik Blom.
GORDON WAYNE MOUW, age 82, of Leota, died Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at the Avera
McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.
He was born December 29, 1940, on the family farm, in rural Chandler, to William and
Margaret (DeBoer) Mouw.
He attended Leota Christian School and later Southwest Christian School in Edgerton.
Gordon married Elaine Spyksma on June 26, 1962, in Rock Rapids, IA. After their marriage, the couple lived in Leota where Gordon worked for Mouw's Hatchery. After moving to the family farm in rural Chandler in 1970, Gordon farmed and built a laying house with 15,000 hens where they picked eggs until the tornado took the barn in 1992. Following the tornado, Gordon raised pullets from baby chicks in two of the barns at the coops on the edge of Leota for several more years. They retired and moved into Leota in 2008.
Gordon was a member of the National Farmers Organization and a lifetime member of the Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church in Leota. He enjoyed farming, nutrition, wintering in Mesa, AZ where he was considered the glue that held the neighborhood together, tinkering with things with Marlyn Groen and having coffee at the "Used To Table". He was a people person and enjoyed helping others.
Gordon is survived by his wife, Elaine Mouw, Leota; five children, Wayne (Dawn) Mouw, rural Chandler; Craig Mouw, Montrose, SD; Sheila (David) Momberg, Montevideo; Gina (Steve) Devore, Lawrence, KS; and Pamela (Brad) Feist, Edgerton; seventeen grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and two sisters, LaVonne Hulstein, Edgerton; and Patricia (Stan) Prins, Leota.
He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter-in-law, Jana Mouw in 2014; and a brother, John (Lillian) Mouw.
To live stream the funeral service please visit Dingmann Funeral Home and the Leota Burial Association are in charge of arrangements.
Patricia Ann (Mouw) Prins was born to William and Margaret (De Boer) Mouw on October
8, 1944 on a farm near Leota, Minnesota and the family moved to the big city of Leota
when Pat was two years old.
She attended Leota Christian School and then Southwest Christian High School in
Edgerton, Minnesota.
She professed her faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior at Ebenezer Christian Reformed
Church (now Leota Community Church) in Leota.
She started dating Stan Prins while in high school and after two years, the two tied the knot on August 17, 1962. They were committed to each other for 63 years. She will be missed.
Pat was an energetic person. In her grade school years, she would earn some money by washing egg hatching pans for her brother, John in the hatchery. When in high school, she worked for her brother, Gordon in the grocery store and helped to order, stock, and help customers check out. She also did a lot of babysitting for her siblings and others. Once out of high school, she got married and lived in Leota for two years before moving to Redlands, California where she spent 46 years. During this time, she raised two children, Ryan and Shellisa.
She was involved with school activities, managed Calvinettes, and supplied flowers for church. She had a day care license and took care of several babies. Then she cleaned houses for a few people. One day she hurt her back so decided that was enough and went to beauty school and received her license to become a beautician. She did that for many years. During that time, she enjoyed riding on the back of the motorcycle, traveling over all of the western states and Canada. (She also was a travel agent for 5 years.) In 2012, she moved back to Leota to the house she grew up in. Then in the winters, she would spend time as a snow bird in Arizona and California. She loved to cook, grow flowers, and do crafts and projects.
In May, 2024, she was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Since that time, there were many trips to Sioux Falls and Pipestone for treatments. She was praying for a miracle but that was not meant to be. In June, 2025, she took two months off of treatments and flew to California to see her children, some of the grandchildren and some of the great-grandchildren. She truly enjoyed her time spent there. She passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at the Edgebrook Care Center in Edgerton at the age of 81.
She will be lovingly remembered by her husband, Stan, of Leota; two children and five grandchildren, Ryan (Lori) Prins of Redding, California and their son, Aaron, and Shellisa Prins of Ranchita, California and her four children, Kenneth "KC", Ciera, Camille, and Zoe; sister, LaVonne Hulstein; and sister-in-law, Elaine (Spiksma) Mouw. She was preceded in death by her parents, William and Margaret (De Boer) Mouw; brothers, John William (Lillian) Mouw and Gordon Mouw; and her brother-in-law, Gary Hulstein.
Hartquist Funeral Home
Pipestone, MN