Christiaan Cornelius Verploegh
Christiaan Cornelius Verploegh
Christiaan Cornelius Verploegh
July 30, 1934 – January 28, 2014
Oskaloosa, Iowa | Age 79
Chris Verploegh, 79, of Oskaloosa passed away Tuesday morning, January 28, 2014, at the Mahaska Health Partnership Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa.
Christiaan Cornelius Verploegh, son of Paulus and Teunje Van Herwijnen Verploegh, was born July 30, 1934 in Herwijnen, Province of Gelderland, the Netherlands.
Chris left the family home in Herwijnen at age 16 to work as a farm hand. When he was 18 he immigrated to New Castle, Canada where he worked on an orchid farm and did various other jobs. He immigrated to Iowa in 1958.
Chris married Mary Louise Pugh, November 15, 1958, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. That same month he entered the U.S. Army, he served from November 1958 to November 1960 in Colorado, Arkansas and Texas and was discharged as a Spc. 4. Upon his return to Iowa, Chris initially worked as a meat cutter at Oskaloosa Locker, and then at the Leighton Locker and Eddyville Locker; his final place of employment was with the Fareway Meat Department where he worked for 25 years.
Chris was a member of Central Reformed Church. He enjoyed gardening and sharing and preserving his produce.
His family includes his wife, Mary of Oskaloosa; a son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Karen Verploegh of Fremont; a daughter, Dorothy Stout of Oskaloosa; four grandchildren: Mindy (Brad) Wilken of Oskaloosa, Jill (Brad) McMahan of Cedar, and Brett and Nichole Stout of Oskaloosa; three great grandchildren: Reid, Ryleigh and Rhett Wilken of Oskaloosa; sisters: Jans Van Zee, Pauke Vander Vliet and Marieke Ver Ploeg, a brother, Dirk Verploegh, all of the Netherlands; brothers-in-law, Robert Pugh of Osage, MN and Kenny Pugh of Oskaloosa; and a sister-in-law, Carol Kinderknecht of Bakersfield, CA.
Besides his parents, Chris was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Carol Jean Verploegh, who died in 1970; a sister, Dorothy; and two brothers: Peter and Harry.
Funeral Services for Chris will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday morning, January 31, 2014, at the Central Reformed Church with Pastor Case Van Kempen and Pastor Gary Brooks officiating.
Burial will be in Old White Cemetery.
A family prayer service will be held in the west wing of the sanctuary at 10:15 a.m. prior to the funeral.
Military Honors will be provided by the Oskaloosa Honor Guard.
Visitation will begin at 11 a.m., Thursday, January 30, at Garland-Van Arkel-Langkamp Funeral Chapel; the family will be present from 4-6 p.m. to greet visitors.
Memorials may be made to the Vacation Bible School at the Central Reformed Church, MHP Hospice Serenity House and Care Initiatives Hospice.
