John Peter De Bruin

Rock Valley, IA: John P. De Bruin, 79, of Rock Valley, Iowa, passed away at his home surrounded by family on Saturday, February 13, 2021, following a brief illness. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 17, at 10:00 AM at Grace Community Church in Rock Valley with Pastor Joe Terrell officiating. Burial will follow at Grace Hill Cemetery in Hawarden, Iowa. Visitation will be held Tuesday, February 16, at Porter Funeral Home in Rock Valley from 2:00-7:00 PM with the family present to greet friends from 5:00-7:00 PM.

   John Peter De Bruin was born to Albert and Henrietta (Vlastuin) on December 8, 1941. He was the oldest of 7 siblings. He grew up on a farm near Fairview, South Dakota. At the age of 14 he started working at the Fairview Locker. He worked in the meat packing industry until he retired in March 2020 due to COVID-19.

   On November 15, 1960, John was united marriage to Doris Elaine Van Noort. The couple was blessed with 5 children: Laura, Michael, Danny, Darin, and Heidi. John and Doris were married for 32 years until Doris’ death on April 1, 1993. He was united in marriage to Betty Vande Hoef on June 11, 1994. They made their home in Rock Valley, Iowa and were married for 24 years until Betty’s death on August 28, 2018. In May 2019, he was united with Dawn Anderson (Miller) in a religious ceremony. Dawn died August 10, 2019.

   John is survived by four children, Laura Hoogestraat (Carl Martinson) of Pierce, Nebraska, Michael (Leah) De Bruin of Hawarden, Iowa, Darin De Bruin of Canton, South Dakota, and Heidi (Scott) Bouvette of Luxemburg, Wisconsin; 9 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; stepchildren, Doug (Bonnie) Vande Hoef of Windom, Minnesota, Randy Vande Hoef of Orange City, Iowa, Bob (Nancy) Vande Hoef of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Barb (Mark) Van Grootheest of Long Beach, California, Darwin (Kara) Vande Hoef of Seal Beach, California, and Susan Vande Hoef of Austin, Texas; 14 step-grandchildren; 12 great step-grandchildren; three sisters, Mary Koenen, Elaine (Jerrold) Van Roekel, and Kathy (Marv) Schelling; two brothers, Jim (Sue) De Bruin, and Brad (Brenda) De Bruin; and brother-in-law, John Vande Hoef.

   He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Henrietta; wife, Doris; wife Betty; Dawn Anderson; son, Danny; son-in-law, Dave Hoogestraat; stepson, Jason Vande Hoef; sister, Betty Jane Vande Hoef; great-granddaughter, Madelyn Brandt; and brother-in-law, Gerrit Koenen.