John Van Roekel
John Van Roekel
John Van Roekel
January 17, 1943 – November 3, 2020
Oskaloosa, Iowa | Age 77
John W. Van Roekel, 77, of Oskaloosa died Tuesday, November 3, 2020, at Mercy One Medical Center in Des Moines. He was born January 17, 1943, at Mercy Hospital in Oskaloosa, the son of Grover and Aletta (Van Wyk) Van Roekel.
John was baptized in the First Christian Reformed Church in Oskaloosa.
John graduated 8th grade from Weaver Country School and went on to graduate from Oskaloosa High School with the class of 1961.
On August 31, 1962, he was united in marriage to Janna K. Van Ommen at the Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa. Following their marriage John made his profession of faith at Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa. He remained a faithful and active member of the church, where he served in leadership as a deacon and elder. He volunteered countless hours working in and around the church.
John started out working at Mahaska Bank (now Midwestone Bank in Oskaloosa) and later he worked at Quad County Grain in Oskaloosa. In 1968 John opened Van Roekel Appliance in Oskaloosa. He and Janna owned and operated that business in Oskaloosa for over 52 years. In January of 2020, they transitioned the business to their son Doug. John still enjoyed walking over to the store everyday and making sure Doug had everything under control for the day. He was always glad to tag along on a delivery or a service call to help Doug or visit with a customer.
He was a hard worker and had a knack for diagnosing and fixing problems. He enjoyed woodworking, mowing grass, and working in his vegetable garden. He always looked forward to camping trips with family, boating, and water skiing.
His family includes his wife of over 58 years, Janna Van Roekel of Oskaloosa; two children and their spouses: Pam and Robert Waters of Des Moines and Doug and Lisa Van Roekel of Oskaloosa; two step grandchildren: Zach and Jared Boggess; a brother and sister-in-law, Henry and Nancy Van Roekel of Ankeny; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jerry and Yvonne Van Ommen of Toledo, Iowa; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins and friends.
John was preceded in death by his parents; a brother in infancy, Allen Gene Van Roekel; a sister and her husband, Anna Mae and Jim Nation; his grandparents; and his father and mother in law, Garry and Irma Van Ommen.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 7, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. in the Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa with Reverend Jon Nelson officiating.
Burial will be in the Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
According to the rules put in place by the Iowa Department of Public Health, proper social distancing and reasonable personal protective equipment is advised for attending a religious public event.
John’s family requests that everyone attending the visitation and the funeral service please wear a mask.
The funeral service will be live streamed at the funeral home’s YouTube Channel for those wishing to support the family from a distance.
Visitation will begin Friday, November 6, 2020, after 12 noon in the Central Reformed Church in Oskaloosa. The family will be at the church from 6-8 Friday evening to greet friends and relatives.
Memorials may be made to the Central Reformed Church Building Fund.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of John Van Roekel please visit the Bates Funeral Chapel Sympathy Store.
