Elmer Veldkamp, 93, rural Jasper, died Saturday, May 9, 2020, at the Bethany Home in Brandon, South Dakota.
A public visitation was Tuesday, May 12, at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. A private family funeral is at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, with a public graveside service at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Jasper Cemetery.
To livestream the funeral service, go to https://www.facebook.com/DingmannFH.
Elmer Veldkamp was born Feb. 20, 1927, to Aalt and Dena (Ruisch) Veldkamp on a farm near Rock Valley, Iowa. Elmer received his education in a country school through the eighth grade. He then helped his parents on the farm. He was drafted into the United States Army and served his country from October of 1945 to November of 1946. He made his choice to serve God at an early age and remained faithful to that commitment until his death.
On Dec. 21, 1948, Elmer married Greta Verdoorn in Sioux Center, Iowa. Following their marriage, the couple lived and farmed north of Rock Rapids, Iowa. In the spring of 1955 they purchased a farm south of Jasper, where they lived and raised their family.
Elmer retired from farming in 1988, and the couple moved into a new home they built just down the road from their farm. His retirement years were spent helping his sons farm, working in his shop, and restoring old tractors. Elmer and Greta enjoyed traveling and spent many winters in south Texas. They were able to be in their own home until 2016 when health issues made assisted living care necessary. After spending a few months in both Palisades Manor, Garretson, South Dakota, and Sunrise Village, Jasper, they moved into Bethany Home, Brandon, South Dakota, in September 2017, where Elmer lived until the time of his death.
Elmer is survived by his wife, Greta Veldkamp; three sons, Jim Veldkamp, Loren (Bonnie) Veldkamp, and Leroy (Denise) Veldkamp, all of rural Jasper; five grandchildren, Jennifer (Dean) Lerwick, Francis, Jolyn, Alex and Keisha Veldkamp; three great-grandchildren, Kate, Ella and Will Lerwick; two brothers-in-law, Harley Rossow and J.C. McKnight; and a sister-in-law, Lorraine Rossow.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Verlyn Veldkamp on March 8, 1975; a daughter-in-law, JoAnn Veldkamp on Aug. 12, 2017; five sisters, Jeanette Beyer, Alice Kracht, Florence Birkhofer McKnight, Dorothy Rossow and Arvilla Veldkamp; and two brothers, Ben and Jim Veldkamp.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home of Luverne, dingmannandsons.com.
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