Albertus “Bert” Van Westen, 96, Luverne, died Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage.
A funeral service was Tuesday, March 17, at the Hartquist Funeral Home – Luverne Chapel. Interment was in Memory Gardens cemetery near Luverne.
Albertus Van Westen was born on June 19, 1923, to Klaus and Grace (Krull) Van Westen in Rock Rapids, Iowa. He was the third oldest in a family of nine children. He grew up in rural Rock Rapids and attended country school through the eighth grade. Bert worked as a farm hand from 1943 to 1947 and then worked at the Edna Elevator from 1950 to 1951.
On Dec. 6, 1952, Bert married Ruth Klaassen at the Salem Reformed Church parsonage in Little Rock, Iowa. In November 1953 he was baptized at the Salem Reformed Church in Little Rock. The couple resided in Rock Rapids for one year after their marriage. In December 1953 the family moved to a farm northwest of Luverne where Bert farmed the land until 1993. He and his son, Keith, continued raising cattle. In 2008 Bert and Ruth moved to Luverne where they lived until 2018 when they moved to Parkview Manor Nursing Home in Ellsworth.
Bert was a member of the American Reformed Church in Luverne. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, reading, softball and baseball. He was a big fan of the Minnesota Twins and would often stay up late at night watching the games on TV. Bert enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s events, including school concerts, T-ball games and birthday parties.
Albertus is survived by his wife, Ruth, of Ellsworth; two sons, Keith (Caroline Marion) Van Westen of Luverne, and Kevin (Kathy) Van Westen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; three grandchildren, Sarah Van Westen, Justin (Amanda) Van Westen, and Brandon (friend, Elizabeth Soukup) Van Westen; two great-grandchildren, Megan and Daniel Van Westen; and two siblings, Inez Rogers of Owatonna, and Shirley (Howard) Heikes of Mantorville.
He was preceded in death by six siblings: Hilbert Van Westen, Martha Doeden, Russel Van Westen, Raymond Van Westen, Hilda Klaassen and Betty Abuhl.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, www.hartquistfuneral.com.
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