Published: November 07, 2008 03:37 pm            

Fredrick De Groot

Fredrick De Groot, age 89 of Mitchellville, died Thursday, October 23, 2008, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines after declining health in recent months. Funeral services will be held on Monday at 10:00 a.m. at First Reformed Church in Prairie City, with burial following at Waveland Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 2:00–6:00 p.m. at Coburn Funeral Home in Prairie City. The family will greet friends from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Memorials may be given to the De Groot Agricultural Scholarship Fund, established for high school students pursing an agriculture career. The scholarship fund has been set up at the Legacy State Bank in Mitchellville, Iowa. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.coburnfuneralhomes.com.

Fred was born on June 3, 1919, on a farm near Monroe, Iowa, the son of Jitze “Chet” and Hilda (DeVries) DeGroot. When he was 10 years old his family moved to the farm near Mitchellville where he lived for 79 years until his death. On November 19, 1942, he married Jeanetta Van Wyk from Sully, Iowa and they had two children, Bonnie and Dwain. He was a member of the First Reformed Church in Prairie City where he served as a Deacon and Elder for several years. He also was on the Board of Directors at the Prairie City Farmers CO-OP for several years.

Fred was a lifelong farmer dairying, pasture-farrowing hogs, establishing No-Till farming on the land and later pursued his true agricultural love raising feeder cattle. Fred was passionate about cutting edge agricultural strategies as it was important to him to work efficiently and productively.

In recent years Fred has been a fierce advocate and a tireless protector caring for his ‘sweetheart’ as he affectionately called Jeanetta.

Those left to honor his memory are his wife of nearly 67 years, Jeanetta; his daughter, Bonnie Wendt and her husband Eldean of Osage, Iowa; his grandchildren and great grandchildren, Kyle (Alison Kaiser) Wendt and their children Jacob and Alexander of Ankeny; Emily (Jerry) Johnson and their children, Olivia and Sophia of Westfield, Indiana; Ellen (David) Cernich and their daughter Julia of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and David (Autumn Hickman) Wendt and their son Leyton of Ankeny. Also surviving is his sister, Tesse (Len) Slegers of Bakersfield, California; a sister in law, Margaret Vande Krol of Sully; a devoted friend and loving caregiver, Charlotte Beeler and numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding Fred in death were his parents; a dear son, Dwain on January 22, 1967; a sister, Jeanette DeGroot; an infant brother, Clarence; a brother and sister in law, Clarence and Artie DeGroot; and brothers and sisters in law, Walter and Tressie Van Der Zyl, Henry and Pearl Van Wyk, Arthur and Wilma Vanderpol, Martin and Marjorie Van Wyk, Lester Huyser, and Russell Vande Krol.

He has left this life now to spend eternity with his Lord.

        

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