Dorothy Van Der Weerd, age 94, formerly of Rock Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Bethany Meadows in Brandon.
Visitation will be Friday, April 12, from 4-7 p.m. at Steen Reformed Church in Steen. Funeral service will be Saturday, April 13, at 1:30 p.m. at Steen Reformed Church in Steen. Burial will follow at Eastside Cemetery near Steen.
Arrangements are under the care of Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. To sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com
Dorothy Van Der Weerd was born to Gerrit and Jennie (Hein) Reurink on March 3, 1930, in Colton, South Dakota. She
was the sixth child of eight. She graduated from Colton High School in 1948.
She met Henry Van Der Weerd at Dutchman’s Night at the roller rink in Sioux Falls, and they were married on June 4, 1953. They lived and worked on the farm where Henry had grown up, raising three children, LeAnn, Janelle, and Tom. Henry and Dorothy moved to Rock Rapids in 1987 and Tom and his family moved to the farm.
In 2018 Henry and Dorothy moved to Bethany Meadows Assisted Living at Brandon. Henry passed away on December 20, 2023.
On Saturday, March 30, 2024, Dorothy passed away at Bethany Meadows at the age of 94 years and 27 days.
Dorothy was a member of the Steen Reformed Church, where she had been a very active member. Dorothy took great pleasure in her family, always asking for details about the grandchildren and their families.
Dorothy is survived by her daughters LeAnn (Dennis) Strother of Hampton, Iowa, and Janelle (Bob) Sneller of Parker, South Dakota; son Tom (Dolly) Van Der Weerd of Rock Rapids; seven grandchildren, Kyle (Celia) Butson of Skokie, Illinois, Andrea (Daniel) Stember of Louisville, Kentucky, Deric (Rebecca) Sneller of Kaiserslautern, Germany, Jared Sneller (and fiancée Desiree McDugle) of Parker, Lanae (Jeremy) McBroom of Chatfield, Minnesota, Lance (Brittany) Van Der Weerd of Rock Rapids, and Kayla Van Der Weerd of Rochester, Minnesota; three step-grandchildren, Tyler (Mandy) Strother and Scott (Becky) Strother of Hampton and Stacy (Will) Farmer, North Liberty, Iowa; 11 great-grandchildren; five step-great-grandchildren; sisters Jeanette Farr of Sioux Falls and Carrie (Don) Hanneman of Dell Rapids; sisters-in-law Wilma DeRoo of Brandon, Henrietta Timmer of Sioux Falls, Edna Jongerius of Sioux Falls, and Mae Tinklenberg of Palo Alto, California; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry; her parents; her brothers Henry Reurink and Frank Reurink; her sisters, Fannie Deelstra, Tony Vander Plaats, and Francis Prince; and numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law.
The family suggests memorial gifts be designated to Atlas of Lyon County or the Steen Reformed Church cemetery fund.