Obituaries : Earl James DeJong

Earl James DeJong, 79, of Belle Plaine, Iowa, passed away, Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids, with family and friends by his side.

A visitation will be held Sunday, July 17, 2022, from 2-4 p.m. at Hrabak-Neuhaus Funeral Service, Belle Plaine. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 4 p.m. at the funeral home. Food and fellowship to follow at the Belle Plaine Community Center. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery, Belle Plaine, at a later date. Memorials may be made to the family. Online condolences can be made at www.neuhausfuneralservice.com.

Earl was born November 27, 1942, in Orange City, Iowa, the son of Wilbur J. and Jeanette M. (Den Herder) DeJong. He grew up on the family farm near Maurice, Iowa. His education began in the Maurice School system, and he graduated from MOC High School with the class of 1960. Following high school Earl went to Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, graduating in 1965, with a major in mathematics.

Earl married Carol R. Denekas on June 17, 1966, in Willow Lake, South Dakota, at the Immanual Reformed Church. Together the young couple moved to Edgerton, Minnesota, where Earl started his math teaching career. They later moved to Forest City, Iowa, where Earl taught high school and was an assistant basketball coach. All three of their children were born during the Forest City years. They then moved to Inwood, Iowa, where Earl went back to his farming roots managing a hog facility. In 1985 the family moved to Belle Plaine where Earl worked a variety of jobs including delivering newspapers and teaching at Anamosa State Penitentiary and Belle Plaine Jr. High. In the late eighties, he became a dedicated and beloved manager at Belle Plaine's Pizza Hut. Earl had a fantastic memory and always knew his regulars' names and their favorite pizzas. His retirement job was cashiering at Meskwaki Casino. Earl was a hard worker and honored with the 1984 Pork Producer of the Year award and several Pizza Hut awards including the 1999 All Star award for his excellent service.

Earl enjoyed spending time with family, gardening, doing yard work, reading the newspaper, solving sudoku puzzles, going to the casino with Carol and watching sports and sitcoms. His favorite teams were the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He enjoyed watching episodes of The Big Bang Theory, 2 ½ Men, Mash and That 70's Show over and over. Throughout the years, the DeJong family were involved in church and school activities in each community.

Earl will be remembered for his delicious pancakes, which were a favorite to many. He will be greatly missed and always in our hearts. In the words of many who have heard of his passing, "He was a good guy."

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carol DeJong; daughters, Kim DeJong Sargent of Platteville, Wisconsin, and Michelle (Ted Reis) DeJong Sleezer of Cherokee, Iowa; grandchildren, Alex (Brea Moon) Sargent, Aiden Sargent and Madelyn Sargent, all of Platteville, Wisconsin, Brianna Sleezer of Papillion, Nebraska, Devynne (Tyler Bezoni) Reis of Cleghorn, Iowa, Bronsan Reis of Cherokee, Iowa, Jenna (Logan Phillippe) DeJong and Isabella Hegarty, both of Belle Plaine; great-grandchildren, Aspenn and Rainer Bezoni; siblings, Carl (Beth) DeJong of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Linda DeJong and Kaye Lamb, both of Aurora, Colorado, Dan (Rita) DeJong of Sioux City, Iowa, Joel (Lorraine) DeJong of LeMars, Iowa; brother-in-law James (Dee) Denekas of Pickstown, South Dakota; and many more nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Earl was preceded in death by his son, David DeJong, his parents, in-laws Rev. Raymond and Edith Denekas, and son-in-law Steve Sargent.