Kenneth Leroy Vander Plas

Kenneth Leroy Vander Plas, of Hawarden, Iowa went home to be with his heavenly Father on June 19, 2021 as the sun was coming up. His earthly body will be laid to rest at Grace Hill Cemetery on the morning of Wednesday, June 23, following a 10:30 a.m. celebration service at Hawarden Christian Reformed Church. Rev. Mark Klompien will be officiating. Visitation with the family present will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church. The Porter Funeral Home is assisting the family. The service will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/hawardencrc

Kenneth was the 81 year old son of Karl and Martha (Dorhout) Vander Plas and was born at home on their Sioux County farm near Sioux Center on September 18, 1939. He enjoyed his growing up years on the farm learning how to work hard and make good use of his time as he did chores and tended to the animals.
Ken attended country school and Western Christian High School, where he met his sweetheart, Theresa Baartman. He graduated in 1958 and enlisted in the Army National Guard. On June 28, 1960, Kenneth and Theresa were married and have enjoyed nearly 61 years journeying through life together. The Lord has been the anchor of their love and has kept their love for each other strong. The couple raised 6 children on their farm south of Hawarden.
He made his livelihood farming his own land, working as a farm hand, laboring in meat processing plants, and before his retirement he worked at Coilcraft. His hands were his livelihood as they were always busy fixing or tinkering. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle, country music, gardening with Tres, and spending time with his family, his friends, and his Lord.
Ken was preceded in death by his father, Karl and his step-father, Henry Goslinga.
He will be lovingly remembered by many including Martha, his 101 year old mother; his devoted wife, Tres and his only sibling Karen (Elmer) Kooi. The six children treasuring his memory are Brenda (James) Blankers, Julie (Dennis) Vander Plas, Mary (Tom) Vander Plas, Karl (Milani) Vander Plas, Bradley (Nora) Vander Plas and Kristi (Randy) Ten Pas. There are also 28 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren who will miss their grandpa’s love and encouragement.